Atypical bovine morbillivirus infections in the Serengeti ecosystem

牛瘟病毒曾经是欧洲、非洲和亚洲牲畜和野生反刍动物的祸害，它是历史上继天花之后第二种通过疫苗接种在全球范围内根除的病毒。牛瘟病毒（RPV）是麻疹病毒的一种，是麻疹病毒（MV）的近亲。牛瘟是一种毁灭性疾病，威胁着世界上许多最贫穷的以畜牧业为生的社区的粮食安全和健康与福祉。根除牛瘟可以说是兽医学最重要的全球成就之一。近年来，我们开发了高度敏感和特异性的诊断测试，我们可以测量麻疹病毒特异性中和抗体。使用这些测试，我们已经确定了来自坦桑尼亚北方牛的血清，这些血清显示出对新型牛麻疹病毒的特异性中和活性，包括犬瘟热病毒（CDV）、小反刍兽疫病毒（PPRV）和牛瘟相关的牛麻疹病毒。该项目的目的是检测在坦桑尼亚北方流行的新型和非典型牛麻疹病毒。我们将在初步筛选牛血清的基础上，重点研究来自塞伦盖蒂和恩戈罗恩戈罗地区邻近地区的约5000份牛血清。这些血清收集于2010年至2016年，将提供该地区麻疹病毒特异性抗体流行情况的快照，并使我们能够为未来的实地研究定位目标位点。根据我们的发现，我们将从已知窝藏抗体阳性动物的村庄的牛群中收集新鲜样品材料，生成用于病毒表征的材料，并评估其临床意义。将对样本进行筛选，以识别具有麻疹病毒特异性抗体的动物，并对相应的血液样本和拭子进行病毒基因序列筛选。这些分析将揭示抗体反应的来源、传染源的性质，并可设计更有效的病毒诊断测试。本项目将提供流行病学和生物学数据，以评估麻疹病毒对牛只构成的潜在威胁。它将产生检测病毒的检测系统，并为随后的监测和控制提供信息。该项目产生的知识将对抗牛中出现新型麻疹病毒的风险，确保麻疹病毒的免疫监测不会因误诊而受到破坏，同时促进未来疫苗接种控制和根除活动的设计。

Once the scourge of European, African and Asian livestock and wild ruminants, rinderpest virus is only the second virus in history after smallpox to be eradicated globally by vaccination. Rinderpest virus (RPV) is a morbillivirus, a close relative of measles virus (MV). Rinderpest was a devastating disease, threatening both food security and the health and wellbeing of many of the poorest livestock-dependent communities in the world. The eradication of rinderpest was arguably one of the most significant global successes in veterinary medicine. In recent years, we have developed highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tests with which we can measure morbillivirus-specific neutralising antibodies. Using these tests, we have identified sera from cattle in Northern Tanzania that display specific neutralising activity against novel cattle morbilliviruses, including canine distemper virus (CDV), peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) and a rinderpest-related bovine morbillivirus. The aim of this project is to characterise novel and atypical bovine morbilliviruses circulating in Northern Tanzania. We will build upon our preliminary screening of cattle sera, focussing on a set of ~5000 cattle sera from neighbouring areas of Serengeti and Ngorongoro districts. Collected between 2010 and 2016, these sera will provide a snapshot of the prevalence of morbillivirus-specific antibodies across the region and will enable us to locate target sites for future field studies. Informed by our findings, we will collect fresh sample material from herds in villages known to harbour antibody-positive animals, generating material for virus characterisation as well as allowing assessment of their clinical significance. The samples will be screened to identify the animals with morbillivirus-specific antibodies and the corresponding blood samples and swabs screened for viral gene sequences. These analyses will reveal the origin of the antibody reactivity, the nature of the infective agent and will permit the design of a more effective diagnostic test for the virus(es).This project will provide epidemiological and biological data to evaluate the potential threat posed by morbilliviruses in cattle. It will generate assay systems with which the viruses may be detected and inform strategies for subsequent monitoring and control. The knowledge generated by this project will counter the risk of a novel morbillivirus emerging in cattle, ensure that immunosurveillance for morbilliviruses is not undermined by misdiagnosis, while facilitating the design of future campaigns for control and eradication by vaccination.