ANIHWA CALL1:Improved Understanding of Epidemiology of PPR (IUEPPR)

PPR is an economically important disease, especially affecting the household economy of the poorest people, affecting mainly domestic sheep and goats in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its causative agent is a Morbillivirus closely related to rinderpest virus (RPV) which has just been eradicated, the first-ever animal virus eradicated And the second after smallpox virus. PPR virus (PPRV) infects a wide host range of cloven hoofed animals of the families Bovidae, Cervidae and Suidae, e.g. African buffalo Syncerus caffer, antelopes, deer, wild goat, sheep deer and pigs(Kock et al., 2006, 2008; Furley 1987; Abubakar et al., 2011). Many of these species are highly endangered (IUCN Red List 2012), especially those from mountainous and arid regions, where small livestock predominate. It is spreading rapidly despite availability of effective vaccines and diagnostic tests for PPR control. It is now in Turkey at the gateway to the European Union and threatening southern Africa. The failure to manage PPR is perhaps, linked to both cessation of RPV vaccination which was cross protective and widely used in domestic sheep and goats and inattention to the small livestock sector. Historically, PPR spill-over from infected domestic sheep and goats was observed in wild artiodactyls kept in fenced enclosures in the Middle East. More recently, natural infection was reported in free-ranging wildlife, notably in
bharal in Tibet (Bao et al., 2011 & 2012), ibex in Pakistan (Abubakar et al., 2011& 2012), and wild goats in Kurdistan (Hoffmann et al., 2012). All these wildlife outbreaks were associated with PPR-infected livestock. The role of wildlife in PPR epidemiology remains unclear (Banyard et al., 2010). It is not known whether wildlife contributes to the local transmission, spread and maintenance of PPRV, thus possibly linking otherwise separate livestock grazing areas (Baron et al., 2011).
PPRV wildlife data are too scarce to draw any conclusion. Diagnostic tools for PPR surveillance exist but they are not able to detect field infection rapidly, precluding rapid control and rapid field tests, such as Lateral Flow Devices and Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), need to be developed and validated. A challenge is accessing wildlife samples, for technical and related costs. Current methods require animal capture for sampling. Recent success in obtaining antibody and virus antigen from faeces in livestock (Abubakar et al., 2012) suggest that this method might be applicable in wildlife. Urgent attention is needed at the borders of the pandemic. Turkey is the closest country to Europe that has reported outbreaks of PPR (though disease is less widespread in European Turkey in comparison to Asian Turkey, there were 20 laboratory confirmed PPR outbreaks reports in domestic sheep and goats in European Turkey 2011-2012). It hosts the same community of wild ruminants as Europe including representatives from the Caprinae (wild goats, chamois) and Cervidae. Wild goats are of high interest as the ancestor of the domestic goats; Cervidae (roe deer, red deer) are of importance because they are the most widespread and abundant wild ruminants in Europe. Theses wild ruminants might play the role of bridge species for PPRV transmission between distant populations of
infected and health domestic sheep and goats populations. Research is urgently needed to clarify the epidemiology of PPR in wildlife species and populations (Munir, 2013), including genomic, virulence and field eco-epidemiological studies, crucial to establish an efficient and effective control strategy for PPRV.

PPR is an economically important disease, especially affecting the household economy of the poorest people, affecting mainly domestic sheep and goats in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Its causative agent is a Morbillivirus closely related to rinderpest virus (RPV).
In RPV eradication, wildlife proved to be prime sentinels after the initiation of the continental vaccination programme and the use of a similar strategy for PPRV requires the preliminary identification of wildlife sentinels and of the habitats and season of wildlife-livestock interface. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial N and F genes of circulating PPRV allows for them to be grouped into 4 lineages. However, full genome analysis by new generation sequencing (NGS) may provide more in-depth molecular epidemiological information, and insights into the evolution and spread of PPRV. It has already revealed the increasing prominence of PPRV Asian lineage IV affecting domestic species (including camels) in Africa (Kwiatek, 2011; Khalafalla et al., 2010), and in wildlife in Asia (Abubakar et al., 2011). High mortality observed in these outbreaks suggests a change in PPRV pathogenicity. Diagnostic tools for PPR surveillance exist but they are not able to detect field infection rapidly, precluding rapid control and rapid field tests, such as Lateral Flow Devices and Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), need to be developed and validated. Research is urgently needed to clarify the epidemiology of PPR in wildlife species and populations (Munir, 2013), including genomic, virulence and field eco-epidemiological studies, crucial to establish an efficient and effective control strategy for PPRV. Through this project, data will be collected on the epidemiology and risk factors related to PPR infected livestock and wildlife in study locations and from experimental infections. Using these data SEIR and diffusion models and high resolution transmission trees will be developed.

PPR is an important cause of loss of productivity and due to its spread is considered to be the most important constraint to international trade in animals and animal products. Research is urgently needed to clarify the epidemiology of PPR in wildlifespecies and populations, including genomic, virulence and field eco-epidemiological studies, crucial to establish an efficient and effective control strategy for PPRV. The proposed IUEPPR project will address the issues by bringing together major players in PPR research throughout Europe, Turkey and Africa including two world reference laboratories for PPR (CIRAD and Pirbright). Through this project, data will be collected on the epidemiology and risk factors related to PPR infected livestock and wildlife in study locations and from experimental infections. Using these data SEIR and diffusion models and high resolution transmission trees will be developed by high profile modellers and bioinformaticians from RVC and CIRAD to represent local PPRV transmission at the interface between wild and domestic livestock populations, as well as long-distance PPRV spread and this will contribute to further risk analysis on PPR.
The epidemiological data generated from this project will be of benefit to many stakeholders with an interest in improved PPR control. This includes vaccine manufacturers, policy makers and livestock industries. Better PPR control will increase productivity and export potential for global livestock industries improving international food security. The UN estimate that world food production will have to increase by 50% by 2030 to meet demand caused by population increases and rising prosperity and to double by 2050 to feed an anticipated population of 9 billion. Improved epidemiology, diagnosis of PPR will also help national and international agencies, such as Defra, the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), and the Food and Agriculture Office (FAO) of the UN, in their work to develop sustainable PPR control strategies.
Staff working on the project will gain research and professional skills. Research training will include a broad range of molecular virology and immunology techniques. Transferable professional skills will include writing and presentation skills for both academic and non-academic audiences, and time and management tools.
Communication of the findings from the research will be undertaken by presentation at conferences, peer reviewed publications, presentations at farming events; discussions with veterinary officers; and via the web-sites and communications offices of the Pirbright Institute and other European partners (CIRAD France, FLI, Germany, SVA, Sweden and IAEA, Austria).All partners within the consortium have the responsibility to ensure dissemination of project results.

The Pirbright Institute has a product development pipeline which ensures early identification and protection of Intellectual Property. Genecom is the Pirbright Institute commercialisation partner and provides documentation and advice on agreements relating to research results, collaborations and exploitation.