Detection of Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles and Novel Recombinant Strain of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus Causes High Mortality in Yaks

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is capable of causing transboundary diseases characterized by fever, nodules on the skin, mucous membranes, and inner organs. The disease may cause emaciation with the enlargement of lymph nodes and sometimes death. It has had endemic importance in various parts of Asia in recent years, causing substantial economic losses to the cattle industry. The current study reported a suspected LSDV infection (based on signs and symptoms) from a mixed farm of yak and cattle in Sichuan Province, China. The clinical samples were found positive for LSDV using qPCR and ELISA, while LSDV DNA was detected in Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles. The complete genome sequence of China/LSDV/SiC/2021 was determined by Next-generation sequencing. It was found that China/LSDV/SiC/2021 is highly homologous to the novel vaccine-related recombinant LSDV currently emerging in China and countries surrounding China. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that the novel vaccine-associated recombinant LSDV formed a unique dendrograms topology between field and vaccine-associated strains. China/LSDV/SiC/2021 was found to be a novel recombinant strain, with at least 18 recombination events via field viruses identified in the genome sequence. These results suggest that recombinant LSDV can cause high mortality in yaks, and its transmission might be due to the Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, which acts as a mechanical vector.