Analysis and insights into recombination signals in lumpy skin disease virus recovered in the field

PLoS One. 2018 Dec 12;13(12):e0207480. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207480. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Wide spread incidences of vaccine-like strains of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) have recently been reported in a Russian region with a neighboring country that actively vaccinate with a live attenuated LSD vaccine. The use of live-attenuated viruses (LAVs) as vaccines during an active outbreak, creates potential ground for coinfection of hosts and emergence of a strain combining genetic fragments of both parental vaccine and field strains. In this study, we analyse the vaccine-like strain LSDV RUSSIA/Saratov/2017 detected in Saratovskaya oblast, a region sharing border with Kazakhstan. To gain insight into possible recombination signals, a full-genome next-generation sequencing of the viral genome was performed using the Illumina platform. The genome contains the backbone of a live-attenuated vaccine with a patchwork of wild-type field virus DNA fragments located throughout. A total of 27 recombination events were identified. The average distance between the recombination sites was 3400 base pairs (bp). The impact of the recombination events on the virulence and transmission capacity of the identified virus remains to be clarified. These findings provide evidence for the first time of genetic exchanges between closely related strains of capripoxviruses in the field and a vaccine strain, and prompt a revisiting of the vaccination issue for a safe and efficacious prevention and control strategy of LSD.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry
  • DNA, Viral / genetics
  • DNA, Viral / metabolism
  • Lumpy Skin Disease / pathology*
  • Lumpy Skin Disease / virology
  • Lumpy skin disease virus / classification
  • Lumpy skin disease virus / genetics*
  • Lumpy skin disease virus / isolation & purification
  • Phylogeny
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Russia
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • DNA, Viral

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.