Long noncoding RNA IRF1-AS is associated with peste des petits ruminants infection.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute and highly contagious disease and has long been a significant threat to small ruminant productivity worldwide. However, the molecular mechanism underlying host-PPRV interactions remains unclear and the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulation of PPR virus (PPRV) infection has rarely been reported so far. Here, we first demonstrated that PPRV infection can induce an obvious innate immune response in caprine endometrial epithelial cells (EECs) at 48 h post-infection (hpi) with an MOI of 3. Subsequently, we determined that PPRV infection is associated with 191 significantly differentially expressed (SDE) lncRNAs, namely, 137 upregulated and 54 downregulated lncRNAs, in caprine EECs compared with mock control cells at 48 hpi by using deep sequencing technology. Importantly, bioinformatics preliminarily analyses revealed that these DE lncRNAs were closely related to the immune response. Furthermore, we identified a system of lncRNAs related to the immune response and focused on the role of lncRNA 10636385 (IRF1-AS) in regulating the innate immune response. Interestingly, we found that IRF1-AS was a potent positive regulator of IFN-ß and ISG production, which can significantly inhibit PPRV replication in host cells. In addition, our data revealed that IRF1-AS was positively correlated with its potential target gene, IRF1, which enhanced the activation of IRF3 and the expression of ISGs and interacted with IRF3. This study suggests that IRF1-AS could be a new host factor target for developing antiviral therapies against PPRV infection.

Integrated analysis of long-noncoding RNA and circular RNA expression in Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants Virus (PPRV) infected marmoset B lymphocyte (B95a) cells.

Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants (PPR) or goat plague is an important viral disease of sheep and goats caused by the small ruminant morbilli virus or PPR virus (PPRV). Long non coding RNAs (lncRNA) and circular RNAs (circRNA) play a pivotal role in several biological processes including regulation of virus-host interactions. The present study explored the expression of lncRNA, circRNA and their functions in PPRV infected B-lymphocyte (B95a) cells. The results revealed a total of 4531 lncRNA and 2348 circRNA expression in both mock and PPRV infected samples. Analysis of differentially expressed (DE) RNA identified 123 DE-lncRNA and 39 DE-circRNA as significantly dysregulated. Functional analysis of cis-target genes of DE-lncRNA indicated activation of TCF dependent WNT signaling and PKN1 stimulated transcription process. Interactions (sponging) of microRNA (miRNA) revealed 344 DE-lncRNA-miRNA and 93 DE-circRNA-miRNA pairs. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of lncRNA/circRNA-miRNA-mRNA in PPRV infected B95a cells was represented by 69 ceRNA pairs. We validated the DE-circRNA by targeted amplification and sequencing of back spliced junctions (BSJs). The present study revealed a profile of lncRNA, circRNA and their potential ceRNA network in PPRV infection. The results provide insight for better understanding of PPRV-host interactions.

Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Exhibits Cell-Dependent Interferon Active Response.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute and highly pathogenic infectious disease caused by peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), which can infect goats and sheep and poses a major threat to the small ruminants industry. The innate immune response plays an important role as a line of defense against the virus. The effect of PPRV on the active innate immune response has been described in several studies, with different conclusions. We infected three goat-derived cell lines with PPRV and tested their innate immune response. PPRV proliferated in caprine endometrial epithelial cells (EECs), caprine skin fibroblasts cells (GSFs), and goat fibroblast cells (GFs), and all cells expressed interferon (IFN) by poly (I: C) stimulation. PPRV infection stimulated expression of type I and type III IFN on EECs, and expression of the latter was significantly stronger, but IFN was not stimulated in fibroblasts (GSFs and GFs). Our results suggested that the effect of PPRV on IFN was cell-type specific. Nine IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) were detected in EECs, but only ISG15 and RSAD2 were significantly upregulated. The effects of PPRV on IFN and IFN-induced ISGs were cell-type specific, which advances our understanding of the innate immune response induced by PPRV and creates new possibilities for the control of PPRV infection.

Differential expression of long non-coding RNAs under Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infection in goats.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) characterized by fever, sore mouth, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, and pneumonia, is an acute, highly contagious viral disease of sheep and goats. The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in PPRV infection has not been explored to date. In this study, the transcriptome profiles of virulent Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infected goat tissues - lung and spleen were analyzed to identify the role of lncRNAs in PPRV infection. A total of 13,928 lncRNA transcripts were identified, out of which 170 were known lncRNAs. Intergenic lncRNAs (7625) formed the major chunk of the novel lncRNA transcripts. Differential expression analysis revealed that 15 lncRNAs (11 downregulated and 4 upregulated) in the PPRV infected spleen samples and 16 lncRNAs (13 downregulated and 3 upregulated) in PPRV infected lung samples were differentially expressed as compared to control. The differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) possibly regulate various immunological processes related to natural killer cell activation, antigen processing and presentation, and B cell activity, by regulating the expression of mRNAs through the cis- or trans-regulatory mechanism. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) revealed enrichment of immune pathways and biological processes in concordance with the pathways in which correlated lncRNA-neighboring genes were enriched. The results suggest that a coordinated immune response is raised in both lung and spleen tissues of the goat through mRNA-lncRNA crosstalk.

Immunization With Bovine Herpesvirus-4-Based Vector Delivering PPRV-H Protein Protects Sheep From PPRV Challenge.

The Morbillivirus peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is the causal agent of a highly contagious disease that mostly affects sheep and goats and produces considerable losses in developing countries. Current PPRV control strategies rely on live-attenuated vaccines, which are not ideal, as they cannot differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). Recombinant vector-based vaccines expressing viral subunits can provide an alternative to conventional vaccines, as they can be easily paired with DIVA diagnostic tools. In the present work, we used the bovine herpesvirus-4-based vector (BoHV-4-A) to deliver PPRV hemagglutinin H antigen (BoHV-4-A-PPRV-H-ΔTK). Vaccination with BoHV-4-A-PPRV-H-ΔTK protected sheep from virulent PPRV challenge and prevented virus shedding. Protection correlated with anti-PPRV IgGs, neutralizing antibodies and IFN-γ-producing cells induced by the vaccine. Detection of antibodies exclusively against H-PPRV in animal sera and not against other PPRV viral proteins such as F or N could serve as a DIVA diagnostic test when using BoHV-4-A-PPRV-H-ΔTK as vaccine. Our data indicate that BoHV-4-A-PPRV-H-ΔTK could be a promising new approach for PPRV eradication programs.

RNAseq Reveals the Contribution of Interferon Stimulated Genes to the Increased Host Defense and Decreased PPR Viral Replication in Cattle.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is known to replicate in a wide variety of ruminants causing very species-specific clinical symptoms. Small ruminants (goats and sheep) are susceptible to disease while domesticated cattle and buffalo are dead-end hosts and do not display clinical symptoms. Understanding the host factors that influence differential pathogenesis and disease susceptibility could help the development of better diagnostics and control measures. To study this, we generated transcriptome data from goat and cattle peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) experimentally infected with PPRV in-vitro. After identifying differentially expressed genes, we further analyzed these immune related pathway genes using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) and selected candidate genes were validated using in-vitro experiments. Upon PPRV infection, we identified 12 and 22 immune related genes that were differentially expressed in goat and cattle respectively. In both species, this included the interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) IFI44, IFI6, IFIT1, IFIT2, IFIT3, ISG15, Mx1, Mx2, OAS1X, RSAD2, IRF7, DDX58 and DHX58 that were transcribed significantly higher in cattle. PPRV replication in goat PBMCs significantly increased the expression of phosphodiesterase 12 (PDE12), a 2',5'-oligoadenylate degrading enzyme that contributes to the reduced modulation of interferon-regulated gene targets. Finally, a model is proposed for the differential susceptibility between large and small ruminants based on the expression levels of type-I interferons, ISGs and effector molecules.

A comprehensive global perspective on phylogenomics and evolutionary dynamics of Small ruminant morbillivirus.

A string of complete genome sequences of Small ruminant morbillivirus (SRMV) have been reported from different parts of the globe including Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Despite individual genome sequence-based analysis, there is a paucity of comparative genomic and evolutionary analysis to provide overarching and comprehensive evolutionary insights. Therefore, we first enriched the existing database of complete genome sequences of SRMVs with Pakistan-originated strains and then explored overall nucleotide diversity, genomic and residue characteristics, and deduced an evolutionary relationship among strains representing a diverse geographical region worldwide. The average number of pairwise nucleotide differences among the whole genomes was found to be 788.690 with a diversity in nucleotide sequences (0.04889 ± S.D. 0.00468) and haplotype variance (0.00001). The RNA-dependent-RNA polymerase (L) gene revealed phylogenetic relationship among SRMVs in a pattern similar to those of complete genome and the nucleoprotein (N) gene. Therefore, we propose another useful molecular marker that may be employed for future epidemiological investigations. Based on evolutionary analysis, the mean evolution rate for the complete genome, N, P, M, F, H and L genes of SRMV was estimated to be 9.953 × 10-4, 1.1 × 10-3, 1.23 × 10-3, 2.56 × 10-3, 2.01 × 10-3, 1.47 × 10-3 and 9.75 × 10-4 substitutions per site per year, respectively. A recombinant event was observed in a Pakistan-originated strain (KY967608) revealing Indian strains as major (98.1%, KR140086) and minor parents (99.8%, KT860064). Taken together, outcomes of the study augment our knowledge and current understanding towards ongoing phylogenomic and evolutionary dynamics for better comprehensions of SRMVs and effective disease control interventions.

MicroRNA Expression Profile in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes of Sheep Vaccinated with Nigeria 75/1 Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is one of the highly contagious transboundary viral diseases of small ruminants. Host microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns may change in response to virus infection, and it mainly works as a post-transcriptional moderator in gene expression and affects viral pathogenesis and replication. In this study, the change of miRNA expression profile in peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBMC) from sheep inoculated with PPR vaccine virus in vivo as well as primary sheep testicular (ST) cells inoculated with PPR vaccine virus in vitro were determined via deep sequencing technology. In PBMC cells, 373 and 115 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified 3 days and 5 days post inoculated (dpi), respectively. While, 575 DEmiRNAs were identified when comparing miRNA profiles on 5 dpi with 3 dpi. Some of the DEmiRNAs were found to change significantly via time-course during PPR vaccine virus inoculated. Similarly, in ST cells, 136 DEmiRNAs were identified at 3 dpi in comparison with mock-inoculation. A total of 12 DEmiRNAs were validated by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). The oar-miR-150, oar-miR-370-3p and oar-miR-411b-3p were found common differentially expressed in both PPR vaccine virus-inoculated PBMC cells and ST cells. Targets prediction and functional analysis of the DEmiRNAs uncovered mainly gathering in antigen processing and presentation pathways, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum pathways and cell adhesion molecules pathways. Our study supplies information about the DEmiRNAs in PPR vaccine virus-inoculated PBMC cells and ST cells, and provides clues for further understanding the function of miRNAs in PPR vaccine virus replication.

Basal interferon signaling and therapeutic use of interferons in controlling peste des petits ruminants virus infection.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is a morbillivirus which causes severe disease in ruminants. Since interferons (IFNs) serve as the important defense line against viral infection, we have investigated the roles of types I and III IFNs in PPRV infection in vitro. Upon PPRV infection, IFN-λ3 was strongly induced, while IFN-ß and IFN-λ2 were moderately induced at transcriptional level in human embryonic kidney 293 T (HEK293T) cells. Although the transcription of type I and III IFNs were triggered, the production of functional IFN products was not detected. Importantly, the replication of PPRV was strongly inhibited in HEK293T cells treated by the exogenous IFNs (IFN-α-2b, IFN-ß and IFN-λ3). Consistently, these IFNs significantly activate a panel of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). The inhibition of JAK-STAT pathway by JAK I inhibitor can abrogate the anti-PPRV activity of IFNs. Thus, our study shall contribute to better understanding of the complex PPRV-host interactions and provide rationale for therapeutic development of IFN-based treatment against PPRV infection.

A comparative phylogenomic analysis of peste des petits ruminants virus isolated from wild and unusual hosts.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) infects a wide range of domestic and wild ruminants, and occasionally unusual hosts such as camel, cattle and pig. Given their broad host-spectrum and disease endemicity in several developing countries, it is imperative to elucidate the viral evolutionary insights for their dynamic pathobiology and differential host-selection. For this purpose, a dataset of all available (n = 37) PPRV sequences originating from wild and unusual hosts was composed and in silico analysed. Compared to domestic small ruminant strains of same geographical region, phylogenomic and residue analysis of PPRV sequences originating from wild and unusual hosts revealed a close relationship between strains. A lack of obvious difference among the studied sequences and deduced residues suggests that these are the host factors that may play a role in their susceptibility to PPRV infection, immune response, pathogenesis, excretion patterns and potential clinical signs or resistance to clinical disease. Summarizing together, the comparative analysis enhances our understanding towards molecular epidemiology of the PPRV in wild and unusual hosts for appropriate intervention strategies particularly at livestock-wildlife interface.

Detection and molecular characterization of Peste des Petits Ruminants virus from outbreaks in Burundi, December 2017-January 2018.

In December 2017, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) emerged in Burundi (East Africa) and rapidly spread to five provinces (Gitega, Kirundo, Mwaro, Muramvya and Karuzi) in the country, causing severe disease and killing more than 4,000 goats in the province of Gitega alone. An initial outbreak investigation was conducted in December 2017 by the Burundi Government Veterinary Services and samples were collected for laboratory confirmation. A competitive Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay (cELISA: Chinese Patent No. ZL201210278970.9) supplied by the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute was used to test 112 sera and results showed around 37.5% positive samples. This high level of PPR positive sera in an animal population where PPR infection and vaccination had not been previously reported indicated the exposure of the animals to PPRV. Subsequently in January 2018, the laboratory tests conducted at the African Union-Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (AU-PANVAC) laboratories following a joint investigative mission by the African Union-Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), AU-PANVAC and the East African Community (EAC) confirmed the presence of PPR in Burundi. Samples tested by conventional RT-PCR indicated the presence of the PPR virus (PPRV). Confirmatory isolation of the virus was also performed. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the virus belongs to lineage III and shows a close relationship with PPRV isolates from Kenya in 2011 and Uganda in 2012. A possible explanation for the outbreaks of PPR in Burundi between December 2017 and February 2018 is presented.

MicroRNA expression profiling of goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to peste des petits ruminants virus infection.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) belongs to the genus Morbillivirus that causes an acute and highly contagious disease in goats and sheep. Virus infection can trigger the change in the cellular microRNA (miRNA) expression profile, which play important post-transcriptional regulatory roles in gene expression and can greatly influence viral replication and pathogenesis. Here, we employed deep sequencing technology to determine cellular miRNA expression profile in goat peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) infected with Nigeria 75/1 vaccine virus, a widely used vaccine strain for mass vaccination programs against Peste des petits ruminants. Expression analysis demonstrated that PPRV infection can elicit 316 significantly differentially expressed (DE) miRNA including 103 known and 213 novel miRNA candidates in infected PBMC at 24 hours post-infection (hpi) as compared with a mock control. Target prediction and functional analysis of these DEmiRNA revealed significant enrichment for several signaling pathways including TLR signaling pathways, PI3K-Akt, endocytosis, viral carcinogenesis, and JAK-STAT signaling pathways. This study provides a valuable basis for further investigation of the roles of miRNA in PPRV replication and pathogenesis.

First genetic characterization of Peste des Petits Ruminants from Niger: On the advancing front of the Asian virus lineage.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a serious transboundary infectious disease of small ruminants. The causal agent, PPR virus (PPRV), can be separated into four genetically distinct lineages using phylogenetic analysis. In recent decades, lineage IV of PPRV has dramatically extended its geographic distribution from Asia to the Middle East and to Africa, where it has progressively replaced other PPRV lineages. Lineages I and II are historically distributed in West Africa. Currently, lineage II appears to dominate the region, whereas the last recorded occurrence of lineage I dates back to 1994. Recent studies reported the presence of lineage IV in Nigeria, suggesting that this lineage is expanding in West Africa. In Niger, a close neighbour of Nigeria, PPRV has never been genetically characterized, despite reports of PPR incidence. In this study, pathological samples collected from sick goats were collected in 2013 during a suspected PPR outbreak in southern Niger close to the Nigerian border were compared to samples collected in a previous investigation in October 2001 in south-western Niger. These strains were characterized by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis to identify their genetic lineage. Our results show that in 2001, lineages I and II were cocirculating in south-western Niger, whereas the strain that caused the outbreak in 2013 belonged to lineage IV and is closely related to strains identified in Nigeria. These results confirm the progression of lineage IV in West Africa. The process of PPRV lineage replacement and its implications for the epidemiology and the control of the disease in this region are unclear and should be the subject of further studies in the field.

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.

Susceptibility of Moroccan sheep and goat breeds to peste des petits ruminants virus.

BACKGROUND: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants in Asia and Africa. In 2008, a PPR outbreak was reported for the first time in Morocco and a mass vaccination campaign allowed control of the disease. In this study, the susceptibility of four Moroccan local breeds of small ruminants to PPR virus was investigated by experimental infections. The objective was to make recommendations for improved epidemiological surveillance in Morocco by evaluating the susceptibility of the dominant Moroccan small ruminant breeds. Three parameters were studied: hyperthermia, clinical scoring and virus excretion. The outcome was compared to Alpine goats, which are considered one of the most sensitive breeds. RESULTS: The study showed that the local goat breed was the most sensitive breed with a susceptibility rate of 67%, followed by Timahdit, Beni Guil and Sardi sheep with 48, 29 and 26%, respectively. Serological testing including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and viral neutralization showed that the Timahdit breed developed a stronger antibody response compared to the other breeds. Although the clinical signs observed in the sheep were mild, evidence of viral excretion was detected by means of a polymerase chain reaction assay. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that effective surveillance should focus on susceptible breeds complemented with serological surveillance of the sheep population.

A G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor: A putative insertion site for a multi-pathogen recombinant capripoxvirus vaccine strategy.

Capripoxviruses (CaPVs) have been shown to be ideal viral vectors for the development of recombinant multivalent vaccines to enable delivery of immunogenic genes from ruminant pathogens. So far, the viral thymidine kinase (TK) gene is the only gene used to generate recombinants. A putative non-essential gene encoding a G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor subfamily homologue (GPCR) was targeted as an additional insertion site. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) was chosen as a disease model. A new recombinant CaPV expressing the viral attachment hemagglutinin (H) of the PPR virus (PPRV) in the GPCR insertion site (rKS1-HPPR-GPCR) was generated in the backbone North African isolate KS1 strain of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). Comparison with the recombinant CaPV expressing the H of PPRV in the TK gene (rKS1-HPPR-TK) shown to induce protection against both PPR and LSD in both sheep and goats was assessed. The suitability of the GPCR gene to be a putative additional insertion site in the CaPV genome is evaluated and discussed.

Sequence analysis of peste des petits ruminants virus from ibexes in Xinjiang, China.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an infectious disease caused by peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). While PPR mainly affects domestic goats and sheep, it also affects wild ungulates such as ibex, blue sheep, and gazelle, although there are few reports regarding PPRV infection in wild animals. Between January 2015 and February 2015, it was found for the first time that wild ibexes died from PPRV infection in Bazhou, Xinjiang, China, where a total of 38 ibexes (including young and adult ibexes) were found to have died abnormally from PPR-related issues. First, we tested for the presence of the F gene of PPRV by RT-PCR. Then, we compared the sequence of the isolated F gene from the ibex strain, termed PPRV Xinjiang/Ibex/2015, with those previously identified from small domestic ruminants from local areas near where the reported isolate was collected as well as those from other regions. The current sequence was phylogenetically classified as a lineage IV virus, and shared a high level of sequence identity (99.7%) with a previously described Xinjiang PPRV isolate.

Genetic Characterization of a Novel Mutant of Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus Isolated from Capra ibex in China during 2015.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) is the causative agent of peste des petits ruminants (PPR). The spread of PPR often causes severe economic losses. Therefore, special attention should be paid to the surveillance of PPR emergence, spread, and geographic distribution. Here we describe a novel mutant of PPRV China/XJBZ/2015 that was isolated from Capra ibex in Xinjiang province in China 2015. The sequence analysis and phylogenetic assessment indicate that China/XJBZ/2015 belongs to lineage IV, being closely related to China/XJYL/2013 strain. Interestingly, the V protein sequence of China/XJBZ/2015 showed lower homology with other Chinese PPRVs isolated during 2013 to 2014 (94%~95%), whereas it shared 100% identity with three Tibet strains isolated in China 2007. The 3' UTR, V gene, and C gene were determined to be highly variable. Besides, 29 PPR genomic sequences available in GenBank were analyzed in this study. It is the first time to use PPRV genomic sequences to classify the different lineages which confirmed the lineage clustering of PPRVs using N gene 255 bp fragments and F gene 322 bp fragments. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the PPRVs continue to evolve in China, and some new mutations have emerged.

Genome characterization and phylogenetic analysis of a lineage IV peste des petits ruminants virus in southern China.

Since 2013, the second outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) caused by Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) has spread over more than 20 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China, resulting in major economic losses for livestock industry. In 2014, we encountered a clinical PPR case on a goat farm in Guangdong province, southern China. The complete genome of this PPRV strain, named CH/GDDG/2014, was sequenced to determine its similarities and differences with other strains. The CH/GDDG/2014 genome comprised 15,954 nucleotides (six nucleotides more than classical PPRVs identified before 2013, but complying with the rule of six) with six open reading frames encoding nucleocapsid protein, phosphoprotein, matrix protein, fusion protein, hemagglutinin, and large polymerase protein, respectively. The whole-genome-based alignment analysis indicated that CH/GDDG/2014 had the most proximate consensus (99.8 %) to China/XJYL/2013 and the least consensus (87.2 %) to KN5/2011. The phylogenetic analysis showed that CH/GDDG/2014 was clustered in one branch (lineage IV) with other emerging strains during the second outbreak. This study is the first report describing the whole-genome sequence of PPRV in Guangdong province, southern China and also suggests the PPR outbreak may be closely related to illegal cross-regional importation of goats.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a New Real-Time RT-PCR Assay For Detection of Peste des petits Ruminants Virus Genome.

A duplex real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was developed for a simple and rapid diagnosis of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR). qRT-PCR primers and TaqMan probe were designed on a conserved region of nucleocapsid protein (Np) of PPR virus (PPRV) genome. An in vitro transcript of the target region was constructed and tested to determine analytical sensitivity. Commercial heterologous Armored RNA(®) was used as an internal positive control (IPC) for either RNA isolation or RT-PCR steps. The detection limit of the newly designed duplex real-time RT-PCR (qRT-PCR PPR_Np) was approximately 20 copies/µl with a 95% probability. No amplification signals were recorded when the qRT-PCR PPR_Np was applied to viruses closely related or clinically similar to PPRV- or to PPR-negative blood samples. A preliminary evaluation of the diagnostic performance was carried out by testing a group of 43 clinical specimens collected from distinct geographic areas of Africa and Middle East. qRT-PCR PPR_Np showed higher sensitivity than the conventional gel-based RT-PCR assays, which have been used as reference standards. Internal positive control made it possible to identify the occurrence of 5 false-negative results caused by the amplification failure, thus improving the accuracy of PPRV detection.