Genome sequencing of canine distemper virus isolates from unvaccinated dogs in Mongolia.

Canine distemper virus (CDV) triggers a severe, often fatal disease in dogs and wildlife known as canine distemper (CD). Prior research has noted significant genetic diversity and recombination among CDV isolates from different geographical regions, potentially contributing to vaccine failures. Despite this, no genetic characterization of Mongolian CDVs has been conducted. This study, isolated CDVs from three unvaccinated dogs: two 10-month-old mixed-breeds and an 18-month-old Samoyed. All exhibited CD symptoms and subsequently died. Virus isolation was conducted using Vero/dog SLAM cells, with genome sequencing performed via nanopore technology. The mixed-breed dogs were infected with non-recombinant CDV isolates, forming a sister clade to the Asia-1 lineage prevalent in Asia. The Samoyed was infected with a non-recombinant CDV isolate, classifying as Asia-4 lineage sporadically reported in some Asian countries. This sequencing data offers foundational information on genetic diversity, aiding CD control measure development and benefiting future Eurasia and Asian studies.

Molecular identification and risk factor analysis of the first Lumpy skin disease outbreak in cattle in Mongolia.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a transboundary viral infectious disease in cattle caused by a Capripoxvirus. LSD has been recently introduced in some Asian countries. However, in Mongolia, no report of LSD is publicly available. We clinically examined LSD symptoms in 1,034 cattle from 4 soum (district) in Dornod province in Mongolia. Sixty-one cattle of them were confirmed with symptoms of LSD and then viral P32 gene was detected by a PCR. The overall prevalence of LSD in cattle was 5.9%. Females odds ratios (OR)=2.27 than males, adults (>2.5-years-old, OR=3.68) than young (1-2.5-years-old) and calves (<1-year-old) were at higher risks for LSD cases in Mongolia, while locations near the tube well and pond water are major risk areas for viral transmission due to density of insects often is high. For virus isolation, skin nodule tissue samples of 4 cattle located in four distinct soums were used for viral propagation using the MDBK cell line. Internal terminal repeat region and RPO30 gene of 4 Mongolian isolates were amplified and sequenced. In the phylogenetic trees, Mongolian LSDVs (2021) were clustered together with the Chinese (2020) and Vietnamese isolates (2020). This is the first report alarming the LSD outbreak in Mongolia that was confirmed by our study. The newly isolated viruses would be a useful base for developing diagnostic tools and inactivated vaccine technology. A large-scale study of LSD is next priority for establishing successful control strategy of further disease outbreak.