Molecular epidemiology of peste des petits ruminants virus

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes an economically important plague of small ruminants. The virus is endemic across much of the developing world and has even spread into the developed world through the spread of the infection into sheep and goat populations within European Turkey. Where the virus is present, it is often seen to disproportionately affect small ruminant production, often causing increased poverty in what are already the poorest areas of the globe. PPR is considered to be a transboundary disease of great significance through its effect on the development and maintenance of sustainable agriculture in developing countries, most notably in Western Africa and South Asia. Here, we review reporting to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and World Reference Laboratories (WRLs) over the last 16 years and comment on reporting systems. Furthermore, we discuss the utility of molecular tools to genetically type PPRV infection across Africa, Asia and Europe.