logo

Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU)

Publish Date: 27 Nov 2021

Molecular insights into peste des petits ruminants virus identified in Bangladesh between 2008 and 2020

Dr. Mohammed Nooruzzaman

Share this on

An in-depth knowledge of the molecular evolution of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is critical for
the success of the current global eradication program. For this reason, a molecular evolutionary analysis of
PPRVs circulating in Bangladesh over a decade (2008–2020) was performed. The complete genome sequencing
of three PPRV isolates from 2008 (BD2), 2015 (BD12) and 2017 (BD17) as well as full length nucleocapsid (N),
matrix (M) and fusion (F) gene sequencing of seven more samples from 2015 to 2020 was performed. Phylogenetic
analysis classified all ten PPRVs from Bangladesh as members of lineage IV and showed that they were
closely related to PPRV strains detected in China and Tibet during 2007–2008, and India during 2014–2018.
Time scale Bayesian Maximum Clade Credibility (MCC) phylogenetic analysis of the three complete genomes
revealed a mean Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor (TMRCA) of 2000. Comparative deduced amino acid
residue analysis at various functional motifs of PPRVs related to virus structure and function, virulence and host
adaptation, receptor binding sites and polymerase activity revealed conserved residues among the PPRVs from
Bangladesh. In total sixteen epitopes were predicted from four immunogenic proteins i.e. N, M, F and haemagglutinin
(H). Interestingly, the predicted epitopes from the N and M proteins shared conserved epitopes with
two vaccine strains currently being used, indicating that the strains from Bangladesh could be potentially used as
alternative local vaccines.

Other Research