BACKGROUND Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious viral disease of cattle caused by a Capripoxvirus. LSD has substantial economic implications, with infection resulting in permanent damage to the skin of affected animals which lowers their commercial value. In Uganda, LSD is endemic and cases of the disease are frequently reported to government authorities. This study was undertaken to molecularly characterize lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) strains that have been circulating in Uganda between 2017 and 2018. Secondly, the study aimed to determine the phylogenetic relatedness of Ugandan LSDV sequences with published sequences, available in GenBank. RESULTS A total of 7 blood samples and 16 skin nodule biopsies were screened for LSDV using PCR to confirm presence of LSDV nucleic acids. PCR positive samples were then characterised by amplifying the GPCR gene. These amplified genes were sequenced and phylogenetic trees were constructed. Out of the 23 samples analysed, 15 were positive for LSDV by PCR (65.2%). The LSDV GPCR sequences analysed contained the unique signatures of LSDV (A11, T12, T34, S99, and P199) which further confirmed their identity. Sequence comparison with vaccine strains revealed a 12 bp deletion unique to Ugandan outbreak strains. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the LSDV sequences from this study clustered closely with sequences from neighboring East African countries and with LSDV strains from recent outbreaks in Europe. It was noted that the sequence diversity amongst LSDV strains from Africa was higher than diversity from Eurasia. CONCLUSION The LSDV strains circulating in Uganda were closely related with sequences from neighboring African countries and from Eurasia. Comparison of the GPCR gene showed that outbreak strains differed from vaccine strains. This information is necessary to understand LSDV molecular epidemiology and to contribute knowledge towards the development of control strategies by the Government of Uganda.

中文翻译：

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2017-2018 年乌干达暴发的块状皮肤病病毒的分子检测和系统发育分析。


背景技术肿块性皮肤病(LSD)是由羊痘病毒引起的牛的传染性病毒性疾病。 LSD 具有重大的经济影响，感染会导致受影响动物的皮肤永久性损伤，从而降低其商业价值。在乌干达，LSD 很流行，政府当局经常收到该病病例的报告。这项研究的目的是对 2017 年至 2018 年间在乌干达传播的肿块性皮肤病病毒 (LSDV) 毒株进行分子表征。其次，该研究旨在确定乌干达 LSDV 序列与 GenBank 中已发布序列的系统发育相关性。结果 使用 PCR 对总共 7 份血液样本和 16 份皮肤结节活检样本进行了 LSDV 筛查，以确认 LSDV 核酸的存在。然后通过扩增 GPCR 基因来表征 PCR 阳性样本。对这些扩增的基因进行测序并构建系统发育树。在分析的 23 个样本中，有 15 个样本通过 PCR 检测呈 LSDV 阳性（65.2%）。分析的 LSDV GPCR 序列包含 LSDV 的独特特征（A11、T12、T34、S99 和 P199），这进一步证实了它们的身份。与疫苗毒株的序列比较揭示了乌干达爆发毒株特有的 12 bp 缺失。系统发育分析表明，本研究中的 LSDV 序列与邻近东非国家的序列以及欧洲最近爆发的 LSDV 毒株紧密聚集。值得注意的是，非洲 LSDV 毒株的序列多样性高于欧亚大陆的多样性。结论 乌干达流行的LSDV毒株与非洲邻国和欧亚大陆的序列密切相关。 GPCR基因比较显示，暴发毒株与疫苗毒株不同。这些信息对于了解 LSDV 分子流行病学以及为乌干达政府制定控制战略贡献知识是必要的。