Genetic Characterization of Lumpy Skin Disease Viruses Circulating in Lesotho Cattle
Mabusetsa Joseph Raporoto Makalo,
Tirumala Bharani Kumar Settypalli,
Irene Kasindi Meki,
Mame Thierno Bakhoum,
Hatem Ouled Ahmed,
Moeketsi Solomon Phalatsi,
Tsepo Ramatla,
ThankGod Emmanuel Onyiche,
Lineo Nionzima-Bohloa,
Artem Metlin,
Madhur Dhingra,
Giovanni Cattoli,
Charles Euloge Lamien,
Oriel Matlhahane Molifi Thekisoe
Affiliations
Mabusetsa Joseph Raporoto Makalo
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
Tirumala Bharani Kumar Settypalli
Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Irene Kasindi Meki
Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Mame Thierno Bakhoum
Laboratoire National de l’Elevage et de Recherches Vétérinaires ISRA/LNERV(LNERV), BP 2057, Dakar, Senegal
Hatem Ouled Ahmed
Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Moeketsi Solomon Phalatsi
Department of Animal Science, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho
Tsepo Ramatla
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
ThankGod Emmanuel Onyiche
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
Lineo Nionzima-Bohloa
Department of Livestock Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security, and Nutrition, Private A82, Maseru, Lesotho
Artem Metlin
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Madhur Dhingra
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Giovanni Cattoli
Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Charles Euloge Lamien
Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Animal Production and Health Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, P.O. Box 100, 1400 Vienna, Austria
Oriel Matlhahane Molifi Thekisoe
Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
Lumpy skin disease is one of the fast-spreading viral diseases of cattle and buffalo that can potentially cause severe economic impact. Lesotho experienced LSD for the first time in 1947 and episodes of outbreaks occurred throughout the decades. In this study, eighteen specimens were collected from LSD-clinically diseased cattle between 2020 and 2022 from Mafeteng, Leribe, Maseru, Berea, and Mohales’ Hoek districts of Lesotho. A total of 11 DNA samples were analyzed by PCR and sequencing of the extracellular enveloped virus (EEV) glycoprotein, G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor (GPCR), 30 kDa RNA polymerase subunit (RPO30), and B22R genes. All nucleotide sequences of the above-mentioned genes confirmed that the PCR amplicons of clinical samples are truly LSDV, as they were identical to respective LSDV isolates on the NCBI GenBank. Two of the elevem samples were further characterized by whole-genome sequencing. The analysis, based on both CaPV marker genes and complete genome sequences, revealed that the LSDV isolates from Lesotho cluster with the NW-like LSDVs, which includes the commonly circulating LSDV field isolates from Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, Turkey, and Eastern Europe.
