Comparative pathogenesis of peste des petits ruminants virus strains of difference virulence

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute disease of small ruminants caused by a morbillivirus. Clinical observation of the disease in the field revealed that several species of small ruminants are affected to varying degrees. This difference in disease-related effects could depend either on the host or on the virulence of the virus strain. A previous study highlighted the difference in virulence between two strains of PPRV used to infect Saanen goats. For this breed, PPRV Morocco 2008 strain (MA08) was highly virulent while PPRV Côte d’Ivoire 1989 (IC89) strain induced mild disease. Experimental studies generally based on healthy and young animals do not permit exploration of the natural variability of the host susceptibility to PPRV. Therefore, building on the previous study on Saanen goats, the current study focussed on this breed of goat and used commercially available animals with an unknown history of infection with other pathogens. Results confirmed the previous disease pattern for PPRV IC89 and MA08 strains. Viral RNA detection, macroscopic and histological lesions were stronger for the highly virulent MA08 strain. We show here for the first time that viral RNA can be detected in the tissues of vaccinated animals. Viral RNA was also detected for the first time in serum samples, which is in agreement with the role of circulating immune cells in transporting the virus into host target organs. Thus, this study provides insight into the pathogenesis of strains of different virulence of PPRV and will help to better understand the onset of the disease. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13567-022-01073-6.