The Lineage IV Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Identified in Georgia in 2024 Is Genetically Distinct from the Virus Associated with the 2016 Outbreak

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious disease of domestic sheep and goats and wild small ruminants across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In February 2024, a PPR outbreak was suspected in a flock of 1700 sheep located in the Kvemo Kartli Region of southeastern Georgia, with characteristic symptoms of PPR being observed in 95 animals. Pooled organs from three euthanized sheep were analyzed by Real-time RT-PCR as well as by gel-based conventional RT-PCR. Positive amplicons (n = 3) were sequenced, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that they were from Lineage IV PPRVs and that they were similar to viruses reported in China, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Interestingly, the 2024 PPRVs in Georgia were genetically distinct from PPRVs identified in Georgia in 2016. This suggests a new incursion of the virus. The data generated will be of interest to those working on the control and surveillance of PPR in the region, where production of small ruminants is of high importance and constitutes the main source of income for farmers.