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Chacón RD, Sánchez-Llatas CJ, L Pajuelo S, Diaz Forero AJ, Jimenez-Vasquez V, Médico JA, Soto-Ugaldi LF, Astolfi-Ferreira CS, Piantino Ferreira AJ. Molecular characterization of the meq oncogene of Marek's disease virus in vaccinated Brazilian poultry farms reveals selective pressure on prevalent strains. Vet Q 2024; 44:1-13. [PMID: 38465827 DOI: 10.1080/01652176.2024.2318198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) has become an increasingly virulent pathogen in the poultry industry despite vaccination efforts to control it. Brazil has experienced a significant rise of Marek's disease (MD) outbreaks in recent years. Our study aimed to analyze the complete meq gene sequences to understand the molecular epidemiological basis of MD outbreaks in Brazilian vaccinated layer farms. We detected a high incidence rate of visceral MD (67.74%) and multiple circulating MDV strains. The most prevalent and geographically widespread genotype presented several clinical and molecular characteristics of a highly virulent strain and evolving under positive selective pressure. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis revealed a closer relationship with strains from the USA and Japan. This study sheds light on the circulation of MDV strains capable of infecting vaccinated birds. We emphasize the urgency of adopting preventive measures to manage MDV outbreaks threatening the poultry farming industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruy D Chacón
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Christian J Sánchez-Llatas
- Department of Genetics, Physiology, and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Andrea J Diaz Forero
- Department of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Jack A Médico
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luis F Soto-Ugaldi
- Tri-Institutional Program in Computational Biology and Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Ding T, Xiong M, Xu Y, Pu X, Wang QS, Xu MR, Shao HX, Qian K, Dang HB, Qin AJ. Dynamic Changes in Viral Loads during Co-Infection with a Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus Vector Vaccine and Very Virulent Marek's Disease Virus In Vivo. Viruses 2024; 16:1042. [PMID: 39066205 PMCID: PMC11281522 DOI: 10.3390/v16071042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 06/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease (MD), caused by the Marek's disease virus (MDV), is a common infectious tumor disease in chickens and was the first neoplastic disease preventable by vaccination. However, the vaccine cannot completely prevent virulent MDV infections, allowing both the vaccine and virulent MDV to coexist in the same chicken for extended periods. This study aims to investigate the changes in viral load of the very virulent strain Md5 and the rHVT-IBD vaccine in different chicken tissues using a real-time PCR assay. The results showed that the rHVT-IBD vaccine significantly reduced the viral load of MDV-Md5 in different organs, while the load of rHVT-IBD was significantly increased when co-infected with Md5. Additionally, co-infection with Md5 and rHVT-IBD in chickens not only changed the original viral load of both viruses but also affected the positive rate of Md5 at 14 days post-vaccination. The positive rate decreased from 100% to 14.29% (feather tips), 0% (skin), 33.33% (liver), 16.67% (spleen), 28.57% (thymus), 33.33% (bursa), and 66.67% (PBL), respectively. This study enhances our understanding of the interactions between HVT vector vaccines and very virulent MDV in chickens and provides valuable insights for the future development of MD vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tian Ding
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Min Xiong
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Yang Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 625014, China;
| | - Xing Pu
- Nanchang Boehringer—Ingelheim Animal Health Co., Ltd., Nanchang 330096, China; (X.P.); (H.-b.D.)
| | - Qin-sen Wang
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Mo-ru Xu
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
| | - Hong-xia Shao
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China
| | - Kun Qian
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China
| | - Hai-bin Dang
- Nanchang Boehringer—Ingelheim Animal Health Co., Ltd., Nanchang 330096, China; (X.P.); (H.-b.D.)
| | - Ai-jian Qin
- The Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Avian Preventive Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; (T.D.); (M.X.); (Q.-s.W.); (M.-r.X.); (H.-x.S.); (K.Q.)
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China
- Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety, Ministry of Education, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225012, China
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Cheng MC, Lai GH, Tsai YL, Lien YY. Circulating hypervirulent Marek's disease viruses in vaccinated chicken flocks in Taiwan by genetic analysis of meq oncogene. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303371. [PMID: 38728352 PMCID: PMC11086920 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease (MD) is an important neoplastic disease caused by serotype 1 Marek's disease virus (MDV-1), which results in severe economic losses worldwide. Despite vaccination practices that have controlled the MD epidemic, current increasing MD-suspected cases indicate the persistent viral infections circulating among vaccinated chicken farms in many countries. However, the lack of available information about phylogeny and molecular characterization of circulating MDV-1 field strains in Taiwan reveals a potential risk in MD outbreaks. This study investigated the genetic characteristics of 18 MDV-1 strains obtained from 17 vaccinated chicken flocks in Taiwan between 2018 and 2020. Based on the sequences of the meq oncogene, the phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the circulating Taiwanese MDV-1 field strains were predominantly in a single cluster that showed high similarity with strains from countries of the East Asian region. Because the strains were obtained from CVI988/Rispens vaccinated chicken flocks and the molecular characteristics of the Meq oncoprotein showed features like vvMDV and vv+MDV strains, the circulating Taiwanese MDV-1 field strains may have higher virulence compared with vvMDV pathotype. In conclusion, the data presented demonstrates the circulation of hypervirulent MDV-1 strains in Taiwan and highlights the importance of routine surveillance and precaution strategies in response to the emergence of enhanced virulent MDV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Chu Cheng
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Research Center of Animal Biologics, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Guan-Hua Lai
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Research Center of Animal Biologics, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Lun Tsai
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Yang Lien
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Animal Disease Diagnostic Center, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- Research Center of Animal Biologics, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
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Kim T, Hearn CJ, Mays J, Velez-Irizarry D, Reddy SM, Spatz SJ, Cheng HH, Dunn JR. Phenotypic Characterization of Recombinant Marek's Disease Virus in Live Birds Validates Polymorphisms Associated with Virulence. Viruses 2023; 15:2263. [PMID: 38005939 PMCID: PMC10674313 DOI: 10.3390/v15112263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease (MD) is a highly infectious lymphoproliferative disease in chickens with a significant economic impact. Mardivirus gallidalpha 2, also known as Marek's disease virus (MDV), is the causative pathogen and has been categorized based on its virulence rank into four pathotypes: mild (m), virulent (v), very virulent (vv), and very virulent plus (vv+). A prior comparative genomics study suggested that several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes in the MDV genome are associated with virulence, including nonsynonymous (ns) SNPs in eight open reading frames (ORF): UL22, UL36, UL37, UL41, UL43, R-LORF8, R-LORF7, and ICP4. To validate the contribution of these nsSNPs to virulence, the vv+MDV strain 686 genome was modified by replacing nucleotides with those observed in the vMDV strains. Pathogenicity studies indicated that these substitutions reduced the MD incidence and increased the survival of challenged birds. Furthermore, using the best-fit pathotyping method to rank the virulence, the modified vv+MDV 686 viruses resulted in a pathotype similar to the vvMDV Md5 strain. Thus, these results support our hypothesis that SNPs in one or more of these ORFs are associated with virulence but, as a group, are not sufficient to result in a vMDV pathotype, suggesting that there are additional variants in the MDV genome associated with virulence, which is not surprising given this complex phenotype and our previous finding of additional variants and SNPs associated with virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taejoong Kim
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
| | - Cari J. Hearn
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Jody Mays
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Deborah Velez-Irizarry
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Sanjay M. Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA;
| | - Stephen J. Spatz
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
| | - Hans H. Cheng
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - John R. Dunn
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
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Song B, Zeb J, Hussain S, Aziz MU, Circella E, Casalino G, Camarda A, Yang G, Buchon N, Sparagano O. A Review on the Marek's Disease Outbreak and Its Virulence-Related meq Genovariation in Asia between 2011 and 2021. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12050540. [PMID: 35268107 PMCID: PMC8908813 DOI: 10.3390/ani12050540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Marek’s disease is continuously causing an economic loss in Asia, despite the wide use of vaccines in the last decade. This review aims at summarizing the outbreak, the virulence-related meq gene variation, and the pathological information of Marek’s disease in the last decade in Asia. We found that a total of 132 viral strains emerged in 12 countries with different meq sequences. Among the evidence we have collected, 12 strains found in China were vaccine-resistant, reaching a mortality rate of 30% and above. This evidence requires the related region in China to consider the renewal of its vaccination type; however, more studies regarding the vaccination efficiency in other Asian countries are recommended, as the current information is not enough. The visceral tumor is the most common pathological type (13 in 16 studies) in Asia, while it is possible that a neural type may exist. We suggest that farmers monitor the behavioral changes of chickens to identify this harmful disease at the early stage. The phylogenetic analysis shows interconnection between Middle Eastern, South Asian, and East Asian countries that are geologically connected—poultry trading managers should consider the potential of viral transmitting. Abstract Marek’s disease is an infectious disease in poultry that usually appears in neural and visceral tumors. This disease is caused by Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2 infection in lymphocytes, and its meq gene is commonly used in virulent studies for coding the key protein functional in oncogenic transformation of the lymphocytes. Although vaccines have been introduced in many countries to control its spread and are proven to be efficient, recent records show a decline of such efficiency due to viral evolution. In this study, we reviewed the outbreak of Marek’s disease in Asia for the last 10 years, together with associated meq sequences, finding a total of 36 studies recording outbreaks with 132 viral strains in 12 countries. The visceral type is the most common (13 in 16 studies) form of Marek’s disease, but additional unobserved neural changes may exist. MD induces liver lymphoma most frequently (11 in 14 studies), and tumors were also found in spleen, kidney, heart, gizzard, skin, intestine, lung, and sciatic nerve. Twelve viral strains distributed in China have been reported to escape the CVI988 vaccine, reaching a mortality rate of more than 30%. Phylogenetic analyses show the internal connection between the Middle East (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia), South Asia (India, Indonesia), and East Asia (China and Japan), while external viral communications might occasionally occur. In 18 strains with both sequential and mortality data, amino acid alignment showed several point substitutions that may be related to its virulence. We suggest more behavioral monitoring in Marek’s disease-endemic regions and further studies on strain virulence, together with its Meq protein structural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baolin Song
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
| | - Jehan Zeb
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
| | - Sabir Hussain
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
| | - Muhammad Umair Aziz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
| | - Elena Circella
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, S.P. Casamassima km. 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy; (E.C.); (G.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Gaia Casalino
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, S.P. Casamassima km. 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy; (E.C.); (G.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Antonio Camarda
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, S.P. Casamassima km. 3, 70010 Valenzano, Italy; (E.C.); (G.C.); (A.C.)
| | - Guan Yang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
| | - Nicolas Buchon
- Department of Entomology, Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
| | - Olivier Sparagano
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China; (B.S.); (J.Z.); (S.H.); (M.U.A.); (G.Y.)
- Correspondence:
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