Peste des petits ruminants virus lineage II and IV from goats in Southern Tanzania during an outbreak in 2011

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes a highly contagious disease in both domestic and wild small ruminants, and in camels. Based on sequence analysis of the nucleoprotein (N) gene, the PPRV has been classified into four lineages. Serological investigations in Tanzania indicate that peste des petits ruminants (PPR) was introduced in 2004 in Ngorongoro district bordering Ken- ya before official confirmation of the disease in most districts of Northern Tanzania in 2008. In 2011, the presence of PPRV in goats of southern Tanzania district of Tandahimba bordering Mozambique was reported. The aim of this study was to perform molecular typing of PPRV strains that caused outbreak in Tandahimba district in 2011. A total of 17 (sheep=0, goats=17) out of 27 (sheep=3, goats=24) were positive for PPRV N gene. The nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analysis clus- tered the PPRV from Tandahimba into lineages II and IV. The results give evidence of at least two separate introductions of PPRV into Southern Tanzania, underlining the transboundary nature of the disease, particularly in regions with uncontrolled livestock movements.