Innovative vaccine strategies for sustainable control and eradication of peste des petits ruminants virus
Muhammad Bashir Bello, Sodiq A. Hameed, Adama Musa Abdullahi, Nafi'u Lawal, Rabiu Muhammad Aliyu, Bello Rabiu Alkali, Farouk Muhammad Tambuwal, Abdurrahman Hassan Jibril, Mikaeel Bala Abubakar, Aliyu Musawa Ibrahim, Zaid Shehu, Aminu Ibrahim DanejiAbstract
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a major constraint to sustainable small-ruminant production across Africa and Asia, threatening the food security and livelihoods of over 1.5 billion animals. Because of its severe socio-economic impact, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Organisation for Animal Health launched the Global Control and Eradication of PPR programme in 2015, aiming for global eradication by 2030. To support this goal, research has focused on transmission dynamics, molecular epidemiology, and particularly the development of improved vaccines and diagnostics.
Although current homologous live-attenuated vaccines such as Nigeria 75/1 and Sungri-96 confer durable immunity, they cannot Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA), limiting their use in eradication campaigns. This has stimulated the development of next-generation peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) vaccines using molecular approaches, including reverse-genetics-based marker vaccines, recombinant viral-vector systems, virus-like particles, and plasmid DNA platforms.
This review summarizes recent advances in PPRV vaccine design, emphasizing immunogenic performance, safety, and DIVA compatibility. Integrating structural vaccinology, thermostabilization, and computational antigen design may accelerate the development of field-ready formulations, advancing progress towards the global eradication of PPR – the next disease targeted after rinderpest.