title: Newcastle disease virus in West Africa: new virulent strains identified in non-commercial farms.
abstract: Forty-four Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains, obtained between 2002 and 2007 from different poultry species in Nigeria, Niger, Burkina Faso and Cameroon, were phylogenetically analysed based on partial F sequences. Lineage 2 viruses were genetically identical or similar to the locally used LaSota vaccine strain and were mostly detected in commercial farms. Lineage 1, 3 and 4 strains were only sporadically found, and their origin was less clear. Twenty-one strains from backyard farms and live bird markets formed three new clusters within lineage 5, tentatively named 5f, 5g and 5h. All of these strains were predicted to be virulent based on their F protein cleavage site sequence. Minimal genetic distances between new and previously established sublineages ranged from 9.4 to 15.9%, and minimal distances between the new sublineages were 11.5 to 17.3%. Their high genetic diversity and their presence in three different Sub-Saharan countries suggest that these new sublineages represent the NDV variants indigenous to West Africa.
authors.affiliation: National Public Health Laboratory, Institute of Immunology, 20A rue Auguste Lumière, 1950, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Chantal J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Snoeck
authors.forename: Mariette F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ducatez
authors.forename: Ademola A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Owoade
authors.forename: Olufemi O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Faleke
authors.forename: Bello R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Alkali
authors.forename: Marc C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Tahita
authors.forename: Zekiba
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tarnagda
authors.forename: Jean-Bosco
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ouedraogo
authors.forename: Issoufou
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maikano
authors.forename: Patrick Okwen
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Mbah
authors.forename: Jacques R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Claude P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000453:epidemiology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009521:Newcastle Disease / Q000821:virology*; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014760:Viral Fusion Proteins