First report of peste des petits ruminants virus lineage II in Hydropotes inermis, China.

In this study, we investigated an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) at a Hydropotes inermis (water deer) farm in Anhui Province, China. These results demonstrated that PPR viruses (PPRVs) can infect H. inermis and also revealed that virulent lineage II PPRVs exist in China, where they have been responsible for the deaths of wild animals. The government should pay close attention to the threat of PPRV epidemiology in China.