Introduction: Recent outbreaks of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) in Turkey’s Marmara region and in Europe (Georgia and Bulgaria) highlight the potential risk of PPR spreading to a larger geographic area. In order to achieve a successful eradication program, evaluating epidemiological data prior to developing disease control strategies is an essential criterion.
Material and Methods: A total of 341 animal specimens from sheep (n = 271) and goats (n = 70) with suspected PPRV infection were collected. The RT-real time-qPCR assay based on nucleoprotein (N) with a plasmid standard reference, which is rapid and sensitive for the diagnosis of infection, was used for the detection of PPRV nucleic acid.
Results:In the RT-real time-qPCR assay, a positivity rate of 29,91% was detected for PPRV nucleic acid. Sequence analysis of sixteen samples from different provinces of Iran showed nucleotide homology of 96,8-100% between them, 97,6-100% for reference isolate Turkey00, and 88,2-89% for the Nigeria 75/1 vaccine strain. The analysis of the secondary protein structure of the approximately 80 amino acid long region of the nucleoprotein in the sixteen viral sequences revealed structural similarity in the alpha-helix and beta-leaf structures for all PPRV strains of Iranian origin, except for two viruses. In the phylogenetic tree, PPRVs circulating in Iran belong to lineage IV and are closely related to the Turkey00 isolate previously found in Iran.
Conclusion:Based on the results of this study, PPRV infection is considered endemic in Iran once again.