African swine fever (ASF) is a severe haemorrhagic disease of domestic and wild pigs caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). In recent years, ASF has steadily spread towards new geographical areas, reaching Europe and Asia. On January 15th, 2019, Mongolia reported its first ASF outbreak to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), becoming, after China, the second country in the region affected by the disease. Following an event of unusual mortality in domestic pigs in Bulgan Province, a field team visited four farms and a meat market in the region to conduct an outbreak investigation and collect samples for laboratory analysis. Different organs were examined for ASF associated lesions, and total nucleic acid was extracted for real‐time PCR, virus isolation and molecular characterization. The real‐time PCR results confirmed ASFV DNA in 10 out of 10 samples and ASFV was isolated. Phylogenetic analysis established that ASFVs from Mongolia belong to genotype II and serogroup 8. The viruses were identical to each other, and to domestic pig isolates identified in China and Russia, based on the comparison of five genomic targets. Our results suggest a cross‐border spread of ASFV, without indicating the source of infection.
Between August and September 2016 pathological samples were collected from sheep and goats following suspected peste des petits ruminants (PPR) outbreaks in western Mongolia. RT-PCR followed by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the samples confirmed the presence of a PPR virus belonging to lineage IV. A full genome analysis of the viral RNA from one of the samples revealed a high similarity (99.0-99.5%) with PPR viruses currently circulating in China (2013-2015) indicating a common origin. This is the first genetic characterization of PPR virus in Mongolia and the data generated will have important implications for control and management of the disease in the region.
The circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of various subtypes (e.g., H5N1, H5N6, H5N8, and H7N9) in poultry remains a global concern for animal and public health. Migratory waterfowls play important roles in the transmission of these viruses across countries. To monitor virus spread by wild birds, active surveillance for avian influenza in migratory waterfowl was conducted in Mongolia from 2015 to 2019. In total, 5000 fecal samples were collected from lakesides in central Mongolia, and 167 influenza A viruses were isolated. Two H5N3, four H7N3, and two H7N7 viruses were characterized in this study. The amino acid sequence at hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site of those isolates suggested low pathogenicity in chickens. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all H5 and H7 viruses were closely related to recent H5 and H7 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) isolated from wild birds in Asia and Europe. Antigenicity of H7Nx was similar to those of typical non-pathogenic avian influenza viruses (AIVs). While HPAIVs or A/Anhui/1/2013 (H7N9)related LPAIVs were not detected in migratory waterfowl in Mongolia, sporadic introductions of AIVs including H5 and H7 viruses into Mongolia through the wild bird migration were identified. Thus, continued monitoring of H5 and H7 AIVs in both domestic and wild birds is needed for the early detection of HPAIVs spread into the country.
Sheeppox is a transboundary disease of small ruminants caused by infection with the capripoxvirus sheeppox virus. Sheeppox is found in Africa, the Middle East and Asia and is characterized by fever, multifocal cutaneous raised lesions and death. Vaccination with live attenuated capripoxvirus (CPPV) strains is an effective and widely used strategy to contol sheeppox outbreaks; however, there are few reports of post‐vaccination field surveillance studies. This study used a commercially available enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to examine quantitative and temporal features of the humoral response of sheep vaccinated with a live‐attenuated CPPV strain in Mongolia. Four hundred samples were tested using the ELISA commercial kit, and a subset of 45 samples were also tested with a virus neutralization test (VNT). There was substantial agreement between the VNT and ELISA tests. Antibodies to CPPV were detected between 40 and 262 days post‐vaccination. There was no significant difference between serological status (positive/negative) and sex or age; however, an inverse correlation was found between the length of time since vaccination and serological status. Animals between 90 and 180 days post‐vaccination were more likely to be positive than animals greater than 180 days post‐vaccination. Our results show that a commercial CPPV ELISA kit is a robust and reliable assay for post‐CPPV vaccination surveillance in resource‐restricted settings and provide temporal parameters to be considered when planning sheeppox post‐vaccination monitoring programmes.
We report the whole-genome sequence of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) O/MOG/BU/2-7/2015 isolated in Mongolia in 2015. This virus is closely related to isolates identified in Southeast Asia in 2015 and is classified under the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001d lineage. This is the first detection of an FMDV of this lineage in Mongolia.
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