Low diversity of foot-and-mouth disease serotype C virus in Kenya: evidence for probable vaccine strain re-introductions in the field

TY - JOUR

T1 - Low diversity of foot-and-mouth disease serotype C virus in Kenya

T2 - evidence for probable vaccine strain re-introductions in the field

AU - Sangula, A K

AU - Siegismund, H R

AU - Belsham, G J

AU - Balinda, S N

AU - Masembe, C

AU - Muwanika, V B

PY - 2011/2

Y1 - 2011/2

N2 - Most viruses are maintained by complex processes of evolution that enable them to survive but also complicate efforts to achieve their control. In this paper, we study patterns of evolution in foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype C virus isolates from Kenya, one of the few places in the world where serotype C has been endemic and is suspected to remain. The nucleotide sequences encoding the capsid protein VP1 from eight isolates collected between 1967 and 2004 were analysed for patterns of sequence divergence and evolution. Very low nucleotide diversity (π=00025) and remarkably little change (only five segregating sites and three amino-acid changes) were observed in these isolates collected over a period of almost 40 years. We interpret these results as being suggestive of re-introductions of the vaccine strain into the field. The implications of these results for the maintenance of serotype C FMD virus and the use of vaccination as a control measure in Kenya are discussed.

AB - Most viruses are maintained by complex processes of evolution that enable them to survive but also complicate efforts to achieve their control. In this paper, we study patterns of evolution in foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) serotype C virus isolates from Kenya, one of the few places in the world where serotype C has been endemic and is suspected to remain. The nucleotide sequences encoding the capsid protein VP1 from eight isolates collected between 1967 and 2004 were analysed for patterns of sequence divergence and evolution. Very low nucleotide diversity (π=00025) and remarkably little change (only five segregating sites and three amino-acid changes) were observed in these isolates collected over a period of almost 40 years. We interpret these results as being suggestive of re-introductions of the vaccine strain into the field. The implications of these results for the maintenance of serotype C FMD virus and the use of vaccination as a control measure in Kenya are discussed.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - FMDV serotype C

KW - Kenya

KW - sequence divergence

KW - vaccine strain

U2 - 10.1017/S0950268810000580

DO - 10.1017/S0950268810000580

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 20334728

SN - 0950-2688

VL - 139

SP - 189

EP - 196

JO - Epidemiology and Infection

JF - Epidemiology and Infection

IS - 2

ER -