Isolation and molecular charachterization of lumpy skin disease virus in central part of Ethiopia

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease is economically important disease that is currently being reported as an emerging disease in various countries. Since, its inception in Ethiopia, LSD has spread in all the geographic locations affecting the livestock production system. Lumpy skin disease which cause lumpy skin disease is of the capripoxviruses, which is classified under the family poxviridae. Despite, efforts to contain by vaccination there have been several outbreaks of the disease in the country. These elucidate the importance of continual studies emphasizing on the viral genetics and associated factors. Thus, in this study lumpy skin disease virus was studied aimed at the virus isolation and molecular characterization from the outbreak reported areas of central Ethiopia. The study took place between October 2021 and May 2022. Purposive sampling technique was used when collecting Skin nodular samples and whole blood for serological assay. The virus was isolated using lamb kidney cells and molecularly characterized by amplifying the DNA fragment using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis using the complete RPO30 gene 606bp analysis. Multiple Sequence alignment indicated the nucleotide and amino acid variations among the capripoxvirus and to other viral isolates basically with the vaccine isolate. The alignment result indicated the absence of unique variation between the current field isolates and previous isolates. However, a single nucleotide variation was found between the outbreak isolates and the vaccine strain T/C at nucleotide position 292. All in all, the study in line with the veterinary professional’s vaccination practices gave an emphasis that outbreaks of the disease have continued to be a problem in different areas and the need of continual advanced studies.