Corrigendum: Examination of critical factors influencing ruminant disease dynamics in the Black Sea Basin.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1174560.].

Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic characterisation of rabies virus strains from Moldova and north-eastern Romania.

BACKGROUND: Rabies is the oldest fatal zoonotic disease recognised as a neglected tropical disease and is caused by an RNA virus belonging to the genus Lyssavirus, family Rhabdoviridae. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A deep molecular analysis was conducted on full-length nucleoprotein (N) gene and whole genome sequences of rabies virus from 37 animal brain samples collected between 2012 and 2017 to study the circulation of rabies virus (RABV) variants. The overall aim was to better understand their distribution in Moldova and north-eastern Romania. Both Sanger and high throughput sequencing on Ion Torrent and Illumina platforms were performed. Phylogenetic analysis of the RABV sequences from both Moldova and Romania revealed that all the samples (irrespective of the year of isolation and the species) belonged to a single phylogenetic group: north-eastern Europe (NEE), clustering into three assigned lineages: RO#5, RO#6 and RO#7. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: High throughput sequencing of RABV samples from domestic and wild animals was performed for the first time for both countries, providing new insights into virus evolution and epidemiology in this less studied region, expanding our understanding of the disease.

Examination of critical factors influencing ruminant disease dynamics in the Black Sea Basin.

Introduction: Ruminant production in the Black Sea basin (BSB) is critical for national economies and the subsistence of rural populations. Yet, zoonoses and transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are limiting and threatening the sector. To gain a more comprehensive understanding, this study characterizes key aspects of the ruminant sector in nine countries of the BSB, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Methods: We selected six priority ruminant diseases (anthrax, brucellosis, Crimean Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease (LSD), and peste des petits ruminants (PPR)) that are present or threaten to emerge in the region. Standardized questionnaires were completed by a network of focal points and supplemented with external sources. We examined country and ruminant-specific data such as demographics, economic importance, and value chains in each country. For disease-specific data, we analysed the sanitary status, management strategies, and temporal trends of the selected diseases. Results and discussion: The shift from a centrally planned to a market economy, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, restructured the ruminant sector. This sector played a critical role in rural livelihoods within the BSB. Yet, it faced significant challenges such as the low sustainability of pastoralism, technological limitations, and unregistered farms. Additionally, ruminant health was hindered by informal animal trade as a result of economic factors, insufficient support for the development of formal trade, and socio-cultural drivers. In the Caucasus and Türkiye, where diseases were present, improvements to ruminant health were driven by access to trading opportunities. Conversely, European countries, mostly disease-free, prioritized preventing disease incursion to avoid a high economic burden. While international initiatives for disease management are underway in the BSB, there is still a need for more effective local resource allocation and international partnerships to strengthen veterinary health capacity, protect animal health and improve ruminant production.