Poxvirus Infections in Dairy Farms and Transhumance Cattle Herds in Nigeria

David Oludare Omoniwa; Irene Kasindi Meki; Caleb Ayuba Kudi; Anthony Kojo Sackey; Maryam Aminu; Adeyinka Jeremy Adedeji; Clement Adebajo Meseko; Pam Dachung Luka; Olayinka Oluwafemi Asala; Jolly Amoche Adole; Rebecca Bitiyong Atai; Yakubu Joel Atuman; Tirumala Bharani Kumar Settypalli; Giovanni Cattoli; Charles Euloge Lamien

doi:10.3390/v15051051

Poxvirus Infections in Dairy Farms and Transhumance Cattle Herds in Nigeria

Viruses. 2023 Apr 25;15(5):1051. doi: 10.3390/v15051051.

Authors

David Oludare Omoniwa^{1

2}, Irene Kasindi Meki³, Caleb Ayuba Kudi², Anthony Kojo Sackey², Maryam Aminu⁴, Adeyinka Jeremy Adedeji⁵, Clement Adebajo Meseko⁵, Pam Dachung Luka⁵, Olayinka Oluwafemi Asala⁵, Jolly Amoche Adole⁵, Rebecca Bitiyong Atai⁵, Yakubu Joel Atuman⁵, Tirumala Bharani Kumar Settypalli³, Giovanni Cattoli³, Charles Euloge Lamien³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiology, University of Jos, Jos 930001, Plateau State, Nigeria.
² Department of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810211, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
³ Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria.
⁴ Department of Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria 810211, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
⁵ National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom 930103, Plateau State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Lumpy Skin disease (LSD) is an economically important disease in cattle caused by the LSD virus (LSDV) of the genus Capripoxvirus, while pseudocowpox (PCP) is a widely distributed zoonotic cattle disease caused by the PCP virus (PCPV) of the genus Parapoxvirus. Though both viral pox infections are reportedly present in Nigeria, similarities in their clinical presentation and limited access to laboratories often lead to misdiagnosis in the field. This study investigated suspected LSD outbreaks in organized and transhumance cattle herds in Nigeria in 2020. A total of 42 scab/skin biopsy samples were collected from 16 outbreaks of suspected LSD in five northern States of Nigeria. The samples were analyzed using a high-resolution multiplex melting (HRM) assay to differentiate poxviruses belonging to Orthopoxvirus, Capripoxvirus, and Parapoxvirus genera. LSDV was characterized using four gene segments, namely the RNA polymerase 30 kDa subunit (RPO30), G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), the extracellular enveloped virus (EEV) glycoprotein and CaPV homolog of the variola virus B22R. Likewise, the partial B2L gene of PCPV was also analyzed. Nineteen samples (45.2%) were positive according to the HRM assay for LSDV, and five (11.9%) were co-infected with LSDV and PCPV. The multiple sequence alignments of the GPCR, EEV, and B22R showed 100% similarity among the Nigerian LSDV samples, unlike the RPO30 phylogeny, which showed two clusters. Some of the Nigerian LSDVs clustered within LSDV SG II were with commonly circulating LSDV field isolates in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, while the remaining Nigerian LSDVs produced a unique sub-group. The B2L sequences of Nigerian PCPVs were 100% identical and clustered within the PCPV group containing cattle/Reindeer isolates, close to PCPVs from Zambia and Botswana. The results show the diversity of Nigerian LSDV strains. This paper also reports the first documented co-infection of LSDV and PCPV in Nigeria.

Keywords: HRM assay; Nigeria; cattle; co-infection; dairy farms; poxvirus; pseudocowpox; transhumances.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Capripoxvirus*
Cattle
Cattle Diseases* / epidemiology
Disease Outbreaks / veterinary
Farms
Lumpy skin disease virus* / genetics
Nigeria / epidemiology
Phylogeny
Poxviridae Infections* / diagnosis
Poxviridae Infections* / epidemiology
Poxviridae Infections* / veterinary
Zoonoses

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the VETLAB network initiative of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, funded through the Peaceful Uses Initiatives (PUI) by Japan and the United States of America.