A sensitive and rapid single step real time (rt) RT-PCR was standardized using one-step Brilliant SYBR Green kit(R) for detection and semi-quantitation of peste des petitis ruminants virus (PPRV) using the virus RNA and matrix (M) protein gene-specific primers and compared with established conventional RT-PCR and TaqMan RT-PCR.The assay amplifies a 124 bp fragment of the PPRV M gene with Tm of 78.28 to 78.50.The assay was linear within a range of 50 ng to 0.5 fg total virus RNA with a detection limit (sensitivity) of 0.5 fg.Based on the serial dilution of the live-attenuated PPR vaccine virus,the detection limit was ～0.0001 cell culture infectious dose 50％ units (TCID50).Additionally,swab materials spiked with known titre of vaccine virus were equally well detected in the assay.The standardized rt RT-PCR was easily employed for the detection of PPRV nucleic acid directly in the field and experimental clinical samples.The assay detected the PPRV nucleic acid as early as 3 day post infection (dpi) and up to 20 dpi in swab materials from the experimental samples.The assay was rapid and more sensitive than TaqMan and conventional RT-PCR in the detection of PPRV nucleic acid from the PPR suspected clinical samples of sheep and goats.Therefore,the established,simplified SYBR green rt RT-PCR is an alternative test to the already existing various diagnostic assays and could be useful for rapid clinical diagnosis with advantage in reducing risk of contamination.

In this study,the decay of maternal peste des petits ruminants virus(PPRV) antibodies in kids born to goats vaccinated with Asian lineage IV PPR vaccine and the efficacy of passive immunity against PPRV was assessed to determine the appropriate period for vaccination in kids.Serum samples collected from kids born to vaccinated,unvaccinated and infected goats at different time intervals were tested by PPR competitive ELISA and serum neutralization test(SNT).Maternal antibodies in kids were detectable up to 6 months with a decline trend from the third month onwards and receded below the protective level by the fourth month.The kid with an SN titre of 1∶8 at the time of immunization showed significant PPRV specific antibody response(percentage inhibition of 76; SN titers ＞1∶16),when tested on 21 day post-vaccination and was completely protected from infection upon virulent PPRV challenge.Similarly,the kid with 1∶8 SN titers was completely protected from PPR infection on active challenge.Therefore,PPR vaccination is recommended in kids,aged 4 months and born to immunized or exposed goats.This could be a suitable period to avoid window of susceptibility in kids to PPRV and the effort to eliminate PPR infection from susceptible populations.

The present study deals with the co-ordination of cytokine(IL-4 and IFN-γ) expression and kinetics of peste des petits ruminants(PPR) virus antigen and antibody in PPRV infected and vaccinated goats.The infected animals exhibited mixed cytokine(both TH1 and TH2) responses in the initial phase of the disease.The infected and dead goats had increased IFN-γ response before their death; while IL-4 remained at the base level.The cytokine expression in recovered animals was almost similar to that of vaccinated ones,where a unique biphasic response of IL-4 expression was observed with an up-regulation of IFN-γ on 7th days post vaccination(dpv).Analysis of PPR virus antigen and antibody kinetics in different components of blood from infected and vaccinated animals revealed that the PPR virus antigen load was highest in plasma followed by serum and blood of the infected animals,whereas vaccinated animals showed only marginal positivity on 9th dpv.The antibody titer was high in serum followed by plasma and blood in both vaccinated and infected animals.Therefore,it is inferred that the presence of antigen and antibody were significant with the expression of cytokine,and that a decreased response of IL-4 was noticed during intermediate phase of the disease i.e.,7 to 12th days post infection(dpi).This indicates the ability to mount a functional TH2 response after 14th dpi could be a critical determinant in deciding the survival of the PPR infected animal.

In this study, peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was detected in frozen pooled tissue samples from a dead Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). The samples were negative for canine distemper virus and positive for PPRV nucleic acids when tested with one-step RT-PCR using the appropriate virus-specific primers. Subsequent amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the partial nucleocapsid, matrix, and fusion genes confirmed the presence of PPRV nucleic acid. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the structural genes of the isolated virus confirmed that the virus belonged to Asian lineage IV and was closely related to PPRV circulating in India.
Animals ; Cloning, Molecular ; *Lions ; Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus/*genetics/*isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary

This study measured the clinical prevalence of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) among sheep and goats in India between 2003 and 2009 by analyzing clinical samples from suspected cases of PPR that were submitted to the Rinderpest and Allied Disease Laboratory, Division of Virology, IVRI, Mukteswar for PPR diagnosis. PPR outbreaks were confirmed by detecting PPR virus (PPRV)-specific antigen in the clinical samples. Clinical samples (blood, nasal swabs, spleen, lymph node, kidney, liver, intestine, and pooled tissue materials) were taken from a total of 592 sheep and 912 goats in different states of India and screened for the presence of PPRV antigen using a monoclonal antibody-based sandwich ELISA kit. A total of 20, 38, and 11 laboratory-confirmed PPR outbreaks occurred among sheep, goat, and combined sheep and goat populations, respectively. Our findings provide evidence of widespread PPR endemicity in India. The underlying reasons could be variations in husbandry practices in different geographical regions, agro-climatic conditions, and livestock migration. Furthermore, decrease in the number of PPR outbreaks over time might be due to the effectiveness of current live PPR vaccines and timely vaccination of target species. Vaccination against PPR has been practiced in India since 2002 to control this disease.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology ; Antigens, Viral/*blood ; Disease Outbreaks/*veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/veterinary ; Goat Diseases/*epidemiology/immunology/prevention & control ; Goats ; India/epidemiology ; Nucleocapsid Proteins/immunology ; Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants/epidemiology/immunology/prevention & control/*veterinary ; Peste-des-petits-ruminants virus/*immunology/isolation & purification ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Seasons ; Sheep ; Sheep Diseases/*epidemiology/immunology/prevention & control ; Vaccination/veterinary ; Viral Vaccines/*immunology/therapeutic use