Peste des petits ruminants virus detected in tissues from an Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) belongs to Asian lineage IV

In this study, peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) was detected in frozen pooled tissue samples from a dead Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). The samples were negative for canine distemper virus and positive for PPRV nucleic acids when tested with one-step RT-PCR using the appropriate virus-specific primers. Subsequent amplification, cloning, and sequencing of the partial nucleocapsid, matrix, and fusion genes confirmed the presence of PPRV nucleic acid. Comparative sequence and phylogenetic analyses of the structural genes of the isolated virus confirmed that the virus belonged to Asian lineage IV and was closely related to PPRV circulating in India.