April 5, 2024
Genomic study unveils insights into lumpy skin disease outbreak in India
A collaborative effort by a multi-institutional team has shed light on the origins and evolution of the virus strains driving the lumpy skin cattle disease outbreak, as announced by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), The Indian Express reported.
Describing the situation as a national emergency, Professor Utpal Tatu from the Department of Biochemistry at IISc highlighted the urgency to investigate the outbreak. Their findings, published in BMC Genomics, delve into the underlying causes of the epidemic.
Since May 2022, approximately 100,000 cattle in India have died due to the devastating outbreak of lumpy skin disease.
To probe the ongoing outbreak, the team collected samples from infected cattle in several states, conducting advanced whole-genome sequencing to unravel the virus's genetic makeup.
Ankeet Kumar, a PhD student at IISc and co-lead author, highlighted the challenges faced, including adapting techniques from COVID-19 research due to the lack of an established LSDV genome sequencing pipeline.
Their analysis unveiled two distinct LSDV variants circulating in India, one exhibiting low genetic variations similar to previous strains, and another resembling strains from a 2015 Russian outbreak, exhibiting high genetic diversity.
The presence of over 1,800 genetic variations, particularly in genes crucial for viral binding, immune evasion, and replication, suggests an enhanced disease-causing potential, potentially explaining the severity of the outbreak.
These insights pave the way for improved diagnostics, vaccines, and interventions to combat emerging infectious diseases, crucial for safeguarding livestock and livelihoods.
Professor Tatu stressed the significance of collaboration, emphasising the 'One Health' approach where multidisciplinary teams unite to address pressing issues, highlighting the invaluable contribution of veterinary experts in tracing variants nationwide.
- The Indian Express
