Isolation and identification of virulent peste des petits ruminants viruses from PPR outbreaks in India

In this study, three outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in goats and sheep flocks with high morbidity and considerable mortality were recorded at Jhansi and Revati in Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, India during 2003-2006. Clinical samples were collected from the affected flocks for laboratory investigation. The PPR virus (PPRV) antigen/nucleic acid in the infected tissues/swab materials was demonstrated by using sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction techniques, and the antibody to PPRV in serum samples was detected by competitive ELISA. The causative agent of the outbreaks, PPRV, was successfully isolated in Vero cells at first passage itself, and its identity was confirmed. The isolated PPR viruses belong to lineage IV based on phylogenetic analysis of partial fusion gene sequences and are closely related to other Asian or Indian PPRV isolates/strains.