Obiero, G. O. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2021

In Silico Epitope Prediction And VP1 Modelling For Foot-And-Mouth Serotype SAT 2 For Vaccine Design In East Africa

Foot and Mouth Disease Virus has seven distinct, geographically localized, serotypes and a vaccination targeting one serotype does not confer immunity against another serotype. The use of inactivated vaccines is not safe and confers an immunity with a relatively shorter time. Using the VP1 sequences isolated in East Africa, we have predicted epitopes able to induce humoral and cell-mediated immunity in cattle. The Wu-Kabat variability index calculated in this study reflects the variable, including the known GH loop, and conserved regions, with the latter being good candidates for region-tailored vaccine design. Furthermore, we modelled the identified epitopes on a 3D model (PDB ID:5aca) to represent the epitopes structurally. This study can be used for in vitro and in vivo experiments.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2021

Serological and Molecular Investigation of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus and other animal pathogens at the Interface of Akagera National Park and Surrounding Cattle Farms between 2017 and 2020

BackgroundFoot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) is a positive-sense RNA virus of the family of the picornaviridae and responsible for the disease with the highest economic impact, the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). FMD is endemic in Rwanda but there are gaps in knowing the seroprevalence and molecular epidemiology. This study reports the FMD seroprevalence and molecular characterization of FMDV in Eastern Rwanda. Surveillance in FMDV wild reservoirs, the African buffaloes, was also carried out revealing the presence of other pathogens and commensals. ResultsThe overall seroprevalence of FMD in the study area is at 9.36% in cattle and 2.65% in goats. We detected FMDV using molecular diagnostic tools such as RT-PCR and RT-LAMP and the phylogenetic analysis of the obtained sequences revealed the presence of serotype SAT 2, lineage II. Sequencing of oropharyngeal fluids collected from African buffaloes revealed the presence of several pathogens and commensals but no FMDV was detected in buffaloes. The plethora of pathogens identified from the buffalo gut gives an idea of the health challenges faced by cattle keepers in Eastern Rwanda due to possible cross infectivity on wildlife-domestic animals interface regions. ConclusionsWe recommend further studies to focus on sampling more African buffaloes since the number sampled was statistically insignificant to conclusively exclude the presence or absence of FMDV in Eastern Rwanda buffaloes. The use of RT-PCR alongside RT-LAMP demonstrates that the latter can be adopted in endemic areas such as Rwanda to fill in the gaps in terms of molecular diagnostics. The identification of lineage II of SAT 2 in Rwanda for the first time shows that the pools as previously established are not static over time.

molecular biology↗