The evolution of foot-and-mouth disease virus: impacts of recombination and selection

Emergence of new sublineages of serotype O foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in Pakistan during 2012-2021

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Pakistan and serotypes O, A and Asia-1 of FMD virus (FMDV) are responsible for the outbreaks in the country. The dominant serotype is type O represented by the O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2 lineage, which has diverged into different sublineages. Characterizing circulating viruses helps to trace the origin of outbreaks and provides evidence to select appropriate vaccines. The present study characterized viruses belonging to the O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2 lineage collected from bovines during 2012-2021. Phylogenetic analyses using the VP1 coding sequences revealed that these viruses grouped into five sublineages, of which two have been described previously, i.e. O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2BAL-09 and O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2ANT-10, while the three new sublineages are designated here as O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2KHO-10, O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2ICT-12 and O/ME-SA/PanAsia-2PUN-16. Antigenic profiling of selected viruses belonging to the PanAsia-2ICT-12 and PanAsia-2PUN-16 sublineages was carried out using antisera raised against three reference vaccine strains: O Manisa, O/TUR 5/2009 and O 3039. The data highlighted that some of the viruses, belonging to these sublineages, were not efficiently neutralized by the reference antisera. This may be due to the individual or combined effects of multiple amino acid changes in these field isolates at known antigenic sites. This study reveals that serotype O FMDVs are continuously evolving in Pakistan and that continuous surveillance to characterize viruses causing field outbreaks is important to identify the emergence of new FMDV sublineages that may be poorly controlled using existing FMD vaccines.

A recombinant multi-epitope trivalent vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O in pigs

In order to develop a safe and effective broad-spectrum vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease (FMDV), here, we developed a recombinant FMD multiple-epitope trivalent vaccine based on three distinct topotypes of FMDV. Potency of the vaccine was evaluated by immune efficacy in pigs. The results showed that the vaccine with no less than 25 μg of antigen elicited FMDV serotype O specific antibodies and neutralization antibodies by primary-booster regime, and offered immune protection to pigs. More importantly, the vaccine elicited not only the same level of neutralization antibodies against the three distinct topotypes of FMDV, but also provided complete protection in pigs from the three corresponding virus challenge. None of the fully protected pigs were able to generate anti-3ABC antibodies throughout the experiment, which implied the vaccine can offer sterilizing immunity. The vaccine elicited lasting-long high-level antibodies and effectively protected pigs from virulent challenge within six months of immunization. Therefore, we consider that this vaccine may be used in the future for the prevention and control of FMD.

Comparative genomics of Japanese encephalitis virus shows low rates of recombination and a small subset of codon positions under episodic diversifying selection

Orthoflavivirus japonicum (JEV) is the dominant cause of viral encephalitis in the Asian region with 100,000 cases and 25,000 deaths reported annually. The genome is comprised of a single polyprotein that encodes three structural and seven non-structural proteins. We collated a dataset of 349 complete genomes from a number of public databases, and analysed the data for recombination, evolutionary selection and phylogenetic structure. There are low rates of recombination in JEV, subsequently recombination is not a major evolutionary force shaping JEV. We found a strong overall signal of purifying selection in the genome, which is the main force affecting the evolutionary dynamics in JEV. There are also a small number of genomic sites under episodic diversifying selection, especially in the envelope protein and non-structural proteins 3 and 5. Overall, these results support previous analyses of JEV evolutionary genomics and provide additional insight into the evolutionary processes shaping the distribution and adaptation of this important pathogenic arbovirus.

Evaluation of Potential In Vitro Recombination Events in Codon Deoptimized FMDV Strains

Codon deoptimization (CD) has been recently used as a possible strategy to derive foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) live-attenuated vaccine (LAV) candidates containing DIVA markers. However, reversion to virulence, or loss of DIVA, from possible recombination with wild-type (WT) strains has yet to be analyzed. An in vitro assay was developed to quantitate the levels of recombination between WT and a prospective A24-P2P3 partially deoptimized LAV candidate. By using two genetically engineered non-infectious RNA templates, we demonstrate that recombination can occur within non-deoptimized viral genomic regions (i.e., 3′end of P3 region). The sequencing of single plaque recombinants revealed a variety of genome compositions, including full-length WT sequences at the consensus level and deoptimized sequences at the sub-consensus/consensus level within the 3′end of the P3 region. Notably, after further passage, two recombinants that contained deoptimized sequences evolved to WT. Overall, recombinants featuring large stretches of CD or DIVA markers were less fit than WT viruses. Our results indicate that the developed assay is a powerful tool to evaluate the recombination of FMDV genomes in vitro and should contribute to the improved design of FMDV codon deoptimized LAV candidates.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Interserotypic Recombination in Superinfected Carrier Cattle

Viral recombination contributes to the emergence of novel strains with the potential for altered host range, transmissibility, virulence, and immune evasion. For foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), cell culture experiments and phylogenetic analyses of field samples have demonstrated the occurrence of recombination. However, the frequency of recombination and associated virus–host interactions within an infected host have not been determined. We have previously reported the detection of interserotypic recombinant FMDVs in oropharyngeal fluid (OPF) samples of 42% (5/12) of heterologously superinfected FMDV carrier cattle. The present investigation consists of a detailed analysis of the virus populations in these samples including identification and characterization of additional interserotypic minority recombinants. In every animal in which recombination was detected, recombinant viruses were identified in the OPF at the earliest sampling point after superinfection. Some recombinants remained dominant until the end of the experiment, whereas others were outcompeted by parental strains. Genomic analysis of detected recombinants suggests host immune pressure as a major driver of recombinant emergence as all recombinants had capsid-coding regions derived from the superinfecting virus to which the animals did not have detectable antibodies at the time of infection. In vitro analysis of a plaque-purified recombinant virus demonstrated a growth rate comparable to its parental precursors, and measurement of its specific infectivity suggested that the recombinant virus incurred no penalty in packaging its new chimeric genome. These findings have important implications for the potential role of persistently infected carriers in FMDV ecology and the emergence of novel strains.

Foot-and-mouth disease viruses of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage in Pakistan

The presence of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage within Pakistan was initially detected in two samples collected during 2019. Analysis of further serotype O FMDVs responsible for disease outbreaks in 2019-2020 in the country has now identified the spread of this sublineage to 10 districts within two separate provinces in North-Eastern and North-Western Pakistan. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that these viruses are closely related to those circulating in Bhutan, Nepal and India. The VP1 coding sequences of these viruses from Pakistan belong to three distinct clusters, which may indicate multiple introductions of this virus sublineage, although the routes of introduction are unknown. Vaccine matching studies against O1 Manisa, O 3039 and O TUR/5/2009 support the suitability of existing vaccine strains to control current field outbreaks, but further studies are warranted to monitor the spread and evolution of the O/ME-SA/Ind-2001e sublineage in the region. (145 words).

A vaccine-matching assessment of different genetic variants of serotype O foot-and-mouth disease virus isolated in Ethiopia between 2011 and 2014

The aim of this study was to assess the vaccine-matching and antigenic properties of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) isolates collected from Ethiopia between 2011 and 2014. Samples (n = 51) were collected from cattle and pigs with clinical signs consistent with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on farms in Debre-Berhan, Debre-Zeit/Bishoftu, Sidamo, Mekelle, and Addis Ababa. Infectious FMDV was isolated using BHK-21 cell cultures from 38 of the 51 field samples (74.5%). All of these FMDV-positive samples were characterized as serotype O, belonging to two East Africa topotypes (EA-3 and EA-4), and their VP1-encoding sequences demonstrated amino acid sequence variability encompassing 27 positions in comparison to the vaccine strain (O/ETH/38/2005) currently provided by the National Veterinary Institute of Ethiopia. One-dimensional virus neutralization test (1 dm VNT) results showed that O/ETH/38/2005 was antigenically matched to 10 of the 16 serotype O viruses. These findings indicate that the O/ETH/38/2005 vaccine strain can provide protection against outbreaks caused by the O/EA-3 topotype, although poorer vaccine-matching results for the O/EA-4 topotype reinforce the importance of using a good-quality vaccine with high coverage in the susceptible herds with supporting post-vaccination serosurveillance to ensure that sufficient antibody titers are generated in the vaccinated animals.

Into the Deep (Sequence) of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Gene Pool: Bottlenecks and Adaptation during Infection in Naïve and Vaccinated Cattle

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infects hosts as a population of closely related viruses referred to as a quasispecies. The behavior of this quasispecies has not been described in detail in natural host species. In this study, virus samples collected from vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle up to 35 days post-experimental infection with FMDV A24-Cruzeiro were analyzed by deep-sequencing. Vaccination induced significant differences compared to viruses from non-vaccinated cattle in substitution rates, entropy, and evidence for adaptation. Genomic variation detected during early infection reflected the diversity inherited from the source virus (inoculum), whereas by 12 days post infection, dominant viruses were defined by newly acquired mutations. Mutations conferring recognized fitness gain occurred and were associated with selective sweeps. Persistent infections always included multiple FMDV subpopulations, suggesting distinct foci of infection within the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Subclinical infection in vaccinated cattle included very early bottlenecks associated with reduced diversity within virus populations. Viruses from both animal cohorts contained putative antigenic escape mutations. However, these mutations occurred during later stages of infection, at which time transmission is less likely to occur. This study improves upon previously published work by analyzing deep sequences of samples, allowing for detailed characterization of FMDV populations over time within multiple hosts.

Pervasive within-host recombination and epistasis as major determinants of the molecular evolution of the foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid

Although recombination is known to occur in foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), it is considered only a minor determinant of virus sequence diversity. Analysis at phylogenetic scales shows inter-serotypic recombination events are rare, whereby recombination occurs almost exclusively in non-structural proteins. In this study we have estimated recombination rates within a natural host in an experimental setting. African buffaloes were inoculated with a SAT-1 FMDV strain containing two major viral sub-populations differing in their capsid sequence. This population structure enabled the detection of extensive within-host recombination in the genomic region coding for structural proteins and allowed recombination rates between the two sub-populations to be estimated. Quite surprisingly, the effective recombination rate in VP1 during the acute infection phase turns out to be about 0.1 per base per year, i.e. comparable to the mutation/substitution rate. Using a high-resolution map of effective within-host recombination in the capsid-coding region, we identified a linkage disequilibrium pattern in VP1 that is consistent with a mosaic structure with two main genetic blocks. Positive epistatic interactions between co-evolved variants appear to be present both within and between blocks. These interactions are due to intra-host selection both at the RNA and protein level. Overall our findings show that during FMDV co-infections by closely related strains, capsid-coding genes recombine within the host at a much higher rate than expected, despite the presence of strong constraints dictated by the capsid structure. Although these intra-host results are not immediately translatable to a phylogenetic setting, recombination and epistasis must play a major and so far underappreciated role in the molecular evolution of the virus at all scales.

There are 7 serotypes of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus and multiple strains of each serotype. The emergence of new strains can result in widespread outbreaks of disease and requires new vaccines to be developed. The major mechanisms driving variation are thought to be substitutions in the viral genome. Recombination in the capsid-coding region of the virus genome has been described at phylogenetic scales but not thought to play a major role in generating variants. In the current experiment, a co-infection of African buffaloes with closely related sub-populations of viruses allowed us to detect recombination events. For structural protein-coding sequences, the genetic composition of the population is driven by extensive within-host recombination. During the acute infection phase the intra-host recombination rates of 0.1 per base per year are comparable to the typical mutation rates of the virus. The recombination map reveals two strongly linked regions within the VP1 protein-coding sequence. Epistatic interactions between co-evolved mutations in VP1 are caused by intra-host selection at the RNA and protein level and are present both within and between the two regions. Our findings in this experimental setting support a major role for recombination and epistasis in the intra-host evolution of FMDV.

Evidence for multiple recombination events within foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in West Eurasia

Phylogenetic studies on foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDVs) circulating in the West Eurasian region have largely focused on the genomic sequences encoding the structural proteins that determine the serotype. The present study has compared near-complete genome sequences of FMDVs representative of the viruses that circulate in this region. The near-complete genome sequences (ca. 7,600 nt) were generated from multiple overlapping RT-PCR products. These amplicons were from FMDVs belonging to serotypes O, A and Asia-1, including members of the O-PanAsia-II and the A-Iran05 lineages, and of Group-II and Group-VII (Sindh-08) within serotype Asia-1, which are currently predominant and widespread in West Eurasia. These new sequences were analysed together with other sequences obtained from GenBank. Comparison of different regions of the FMDVs genomes revealed evidence for multiple, inter-serotypic, recombination events between FMDVs belonging to the serotypes O, A and Asia-1. It is concluded from the present study that dramatic changes in virus sequences can occur in the field through recombination between different FMDV genomes. These analyses provide information about the ancestry of the serotype O, A and Asia-1 FMDVs that are currently circulating within the West Eurasian region.

The evolution of a super-swarm of foot-and-mouth disease virus in cattle

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that severely impacts global food security and is one of the greatest constraints on international trade of animal products. Extensive viral population diversity and rapid, continuous mutation of circulating FMD viruses (FMDVs) pose significant obstacles to the control and ultimate eradication of this important transboundary pathogen. The current study investigated mechanisms contributing to within-host evolution of FMDV in a natural host species (cattle). Specifically, vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle were infected with FMDV under controlled, experimental conditions and subsequently sampled for up to 35 days to monitor viral genomic changes as related to phases of disease and experimental cohorts. Consensus-level genomic changes across the entire FMDV coding region were characterized through three previously defined stages of infection: early, transitional, and persistent. The overall conclusion was that viral evolution occurred via a combination of two mechanisms: emergence of full-genomic minority haplotypes from within the inoculum super-swarm, and concurrent continuous point mutations. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that individuals were infected with multiple distinct haplogroups that were pre-existent within the ancestral inoculum used to infect all animals. Multiple shifts of dominant viral haplotype took place during the early and transitional phases of infection, whereas few shifts occurred during persistent infection. Overall, this work suggests that the establishment of the carrier state is not associated with specific viral genomic characteristics. These insights into FMDV population dynamics have important implications for virus sampling methodology and molecular epidemiology.

The evolution of a super-swarm of foot-and-mouth disease virus in cattle

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that severely impacts global food security and is one of the greatest constraints on international trade of animal products. Extensive viral population diversity and rapid, continuous mutation of circulating FMD viruses (FMDVs) pose significant obstacles to the control and ultimate eradication of this important transboundary pathogen. The current study investigated mechanisms contributing to within-host evolution of FMDV in a natural host species (cattle). Specifically, vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle were infected with FMDV under controlled, experimental conditions and subsequently sampled for up to 35 days to monitor viral genomic changes as related to phases of disease and experimental cohorts. Consensus-level genomic changes across the entire FMDV coding region were characterized through three previously defined stages of infection: early, transitional, and persistent. The overall conclusion was that viral evolution occurred via a combination of two mechanisms: emergence of full-genomic minority haplotypes from within the inoculum super-swarm, and concurrent continuous point mutations. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that individuals were infected with multiple distinct haplogroups that were pre-existent within the ancestral inoculum used to infect all animals. Multiple shifts of dominant viral haplotype took place during the early and transitional phases of infection, whereas few shifts occurred during persistent infection. Overall, this work suggests that the establishment of the carrier state is not associated with specific viral genomic characteristics. These insights into FMDV population dynamics have important implications for virus sampling methodology and molecular epidemiology.

Recombination of host cell mRNA with the Asia 1 foot-and-mouth disease virus genome in cell suspension culture

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) exhibits high mutation rates during replication. In this study, an isolate of FMDV serotype Asia-1 was serially passaged in a BHK-21 cell monolayer and then adapted to serum-free BHK-21 cell suspension culture to produce a seed virus for production of an inactivated vaccine. Analysis of the sequence encoding the structural proteins of the virus at various passages showed the presence of overlapping peaks in sequencing electropherograms after nucleotide 619 of VP1 in viruses recovered from the fourth passage in suspension culture, suggesting the possible introduction of an insertion or deletion into this portion of the viral genome of our seed virus stock. To evaluate this phenomenon, a virus designated "Vac-Asia1-VDLV", was isolated by plaque purification from the tenth passage in suspension culture. Sequencing results showed that a 12-nt-long exogenous sequence was inserted into the 3' end of the VP1 coding region at the position where the original overlapping peaks were identified. Analysis of the host cell transcriptome showed that the 12-nt sequence was identical to a highly expressed sequence in BHK-21 cells, strongly suggesting that recombination between the FMDV genome and host cell mRNA produced the recombinant virus. A growth curve showed that the virus with the 12-nt insertion reached a peak earlier than the parental strain and that this virus had acquired the ability to bind to the cell surface by a mechanism that was not dependent on integrin or the heparan sulfate receptor. This novel pathogen-host cell recombination event is discussed in terms of the mechanism of viral RNA replication and the phenotypic constraints of FMDV biology and evolution.

Within-Host Recombination in the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Genome

Recombination is one of the determinants of genetic diversity in the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). FMDV sequences have a mosaic structure caused by extensive intra- and inter-serotype recombination, with the exception of the capsid-encoding region. While these genome-wide patterns of broad-scale recombination are well studied, not much is known about the patterns of recombination that may exist within infected hosts. In addition, detection of recombination among viruses evolving at the within-host level is challenging due to the similarity of the sequences and the limitations in differentiating recombination from point mutations. Here, we present the first analysis of recombination events between closely related FMDV sequences occurring within buffalo hosts. The detection of these events was made possible by the occurrence of co-infection of two viral swarms with about 1% nucleotide divergence. We found more than 15 recombination events, unequally distributed across eight samples from different animals. The distribution of these events along the FMDV genome was neither uniform nor related to the phylogenetic distribution of recombination breakpoints, suggesting a mismatch between within-host evolutionary pressures and long-term selection for infectivity and transmissibility.

A traditional evolutionary history of foot-and-mouth disease viruses in Southeast Asia challenged by analyses of non-structural protein coding sequences

Recombination of rapidly evolving RNA-viruses provides an important mechanism for diversification, spread, and emergence of new variants with enhanced fitness. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) causes an important transboundary disease of livestock that is endemic to most countries in Asia and Africa. Maintenance and spread of FMDV are driven by periods of dominance of specific viral lineages. Current understanding of the molecular epidemiology of FMDV lineages is generally based on the phylogenetic relationship of the capsid-encoding genes, with less attention to the process of recombination and evolution of non-structural proteins. In this study, the putative recombination breakpoints of FMDVs endemic to Southeast Asia were determined using full-open reading frame sequences. Subsequently, the lineages’ divergence times of recombination-free genome regions were estimated. These analyses revealed a close relationship between two of the earliest endemic viral lineages that appear unrelated when only considering the phylogeny of their capsid proteins. Contrastingly, one lineage, named O/CATHAY, known for having a particular host predilection (pigs) has evolved independently. Additionally, intra-lineage recombination occurred at different breakpoints compared to the inter-lineage process. These results provide new insights about FMDV recombination patterns and the evolutionary interdependence of FMDV serotypes and lineages.

Reconstructing geographical movements and host species transitions of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT 2

Of the three foot-and-mouth-disease virus SAT serotypes mainly confined to sub-Saharan Africa, SAT 2 is the strain most often recorded in domestic animals and has caused outbreaks in North Africa and the Middle East six times in the last 25 years, with three apparently separate events occurring in 2012. This study updates the picture of SAT 2 phylogenetics by using all available sequences for the VP1 section of the genome available at the time of writing and uses phylogeographic methods to trace the origin of all outbreaks occurring north of the Sahara since 1990 and identify patterns of spread among countries of endemicity. Transitions between different host species are also enumerated. Outbreaks in North Africa appear to have origins in countries immediately south of the Sahara, whereas those in the Middle East are more often from East Africa. The results of the analysis of spread within sub-Saharan Africa are consistent with it being driven by relatively short-distance movements of animals across national borders, and the analysis of host species transitions supports the role of the African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) as an important natural reservoir.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus is a livestock pathogen of major economic importance, with seven distinct serotypes occurring globally. The SAT 2 serotype, endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, has caused a number of outbreaks in North Africa and the Middle East during the last decades, including three separate incidents in 2012. A comprehensive analysis of all available RNA sequences for SAT 2 has not been published for some years. In this work, we performed this analysis using all previously published sequences and 49 newly determined examples. We also used phylogenetic methods to infer the source country for all outbreaks occurring outside sub-Saharan Africa since 1990 and to reconstruct the spread of viral lineages between countries where it is endemic and movements between different host species.

Rogue taxa phenomenon: a biological companion to simulation analysis

To provide a baseline biological comparison to simulation study predictions about the frequency of rogue taxa effects, we evaluated the frequency of a rogue taxa effect using viral data sets which differed in diversity. Using a quartet-tree framework, we measured the frequency of a rogue taxa effect in three data sets of increasing genetic variability (within viral serotype, between viral serotype, and between viral family) to test whether the rogue taxa was correlated with the mean sequence diversity of the respective data sets. We found a slight increase in the percentage of rogues as nucleotide diversity increased. Even though the number of rogues increased with diversity, the distribution of the types of rogues (friendly, crazy, or evil) did not depend on the diversity and in the case of the order-level data set the net rogue effect was slightly positive. This study, assessing frequency of the rogue taxa effect using biological data, indicated that simulation studies may over-predict the prevalence of the rogue taxa effect. Further investigations are necessary to understand which types of data sets are susceptible to a negative rogue effect and thus merit the removal of taxa from large phylogenetic reconstructions.

Evolution of foot-and-mouth disease virus intra-sample sequence diversity during serial transmission in bovine hosts

RNA virus populations within samples are highly heterogeneous, containing a large number of minority sequence variants which can potentially be transmitted to other susceptible hosts. Consequently, consensus genome sequences provide an incomplete picture of the within- and between-host viral evolutionary dynamics during transmission. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is an RNA virus that can spread from primary sites of replication, via the systemic circulation, to found distinct sites of local infection at epithelial surfaces. Viral evolution in these different tissues occurs independently, each of them potentially providing a source of virus to seed subsequent transmission events. This study employed the Illumina Genome Analyzer platform to sequence 18 FMDV samples collected from a chain of sequentially infected cattle. These data generated snap-shots of the evolving viral population structures within different animals and tissues. Analyses of the mutation spectra revealed polymorphisms at frequencies >0.5% at between 21 and 146 sites across the genome for these samples, while 13 sites acquired mutations in excess of consensus frequency (50%). Analysis of polymorphism frequency revealed that a number of minority variants were transmitted during host-to-host infection events, while the size of the intra-host founder populations appeared to be smaller. These data indicate that viral population complexity is influenced by small intra-host bottlenecks and relatively large inter-host bottlenecks. The dynamics of minority variants are consistent with the actions of genetic drift rather than strong selection. These results provide novel insights into the evolution of FMDV that can be applied to reconstruct both intra- and inter-host transmission routes.

Requirements for improved vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease epidemics

Inactivated foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines are currently used worldwide. With the emergence of various FMD virus serotypes and subtypes, vaccines must become more suitable for field-based uses under the current circumstances in terms of the fast and proper selection of vaccine strains, an extended vaccine development period for new viruses, protecting against the risk of virus leakage during vaccine manufacture, counteracting the delayed onset of immune response, counteracting shorter durations of immunity, and the accurate serological differentiation of infected and vaccinated animals and multiple vaccination. The quality of vaccines should then be improved to effectively control FMD outbreaks and minimize the problems that can arise among livestock after vaccinations. Vaccine improvement should be based on using attenuated virus strains with high levels of safety. Moreover, when vaccines are urgently required for newly spread field strains, the seed viruses for new vaccines should be developed for only a short period. Improved vaccines should offer superior immunization to all susceptible animals including cattle and swine. In addition, they should have highly protective effects without persistent infection. In this way, if vaccines are developed using new methods such as reverse genetics or vector vaccine technology, in which live viruses can be easily made by replacing specific protective antigens, even a single vaccination is likely to generate highly protective effects with an extended duration of immunity, and the safety and stability of the vaccines will be assured. We therefore reviewed the current FMD vaccines and their adjuvants, and evaluated if they provide superior immunization to all susceptible animals including cattle and swine.

Adaptive radiation within the vaccine target tetraspanin-23 across nine Schistosoma species from Africa

High levels of polymorphism in DNA sequences of tetraspanin-23 (TSP-23) were revealed within and between nine different species of Schistosoma from Africa including Schistosoma mansoni, Schistosoma rodhaini, Schistosoma margrebowiei, Schistosoma mattheei, Schistosoma intercalatum, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma guineensis, Schistosoma curassoni and Schistosoma bovis. The greatest levels of diversity coincided with evidence of positive selection (d(N)/d(S)>1) within regions that code for extracellular loops of TSP-23 believed to interact with the host immune system. Kolaskar and Tongaonkar antigenicity predictions of protein sequences were compared across species and high levels of variation in antigenicity were also identified with each species which possessed their own unique antigenic profile. Phylogenetic analysis of TSP-23 proteins suggested evidence of convergent evolution in antigenic lineages as no true inter-species phylogenetic relationships were seen. This could be indicative of host-specific evolution of antigens in different species of schistosomes, a factor that should be considered carefully when developing vaccine targets.

Comparative study of codon substitution patterns in foot-and-mouth disease virus (serotype O)

We compared genetic variations in the VP1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDVs) isolated since 2000 from various region of the world. We analyzed relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) and phylogenetic relationship between geographical regions, and calculated the genetic substitution patterns between Korean isolate and those from other countries. We calculated the ratios of synonymously substituted codons (SSC) to all observed substitutions and developed a new analytical parameter, EMC (the ratio of exact matching codons within each synonymous substitution group) to investigate more detailed substitution patterns within each synonymous codon group. We observed that FMDVs showed distinct RSCU patterns according to phylogenetic relationships in the same serotype (serotype O). Moreover, while the SSC and EMC values of FMDVs decreased according to phylogenetic distance, G + C composition at the third codon position was strictly conserved. Although there was little variation among the SSC values of 18 amino acids, more dynamic differences were observed in EMC values. The EMC values of 4- and 6-fold degenerate amino acids showed significantly lower values while most 2-fold degenerate amino acids showed no significant difference. Our findings suggest that different EMC patterns among the 18 amino acids might be an important factor in determining the direction of evolution in FMDV.

Partitioning the genetic diversity of a virus family: approach and evaluation through a case study of picornaviruses

The recent advent of genome sequences as the only source available to classify many newly discovered viruses challenges the development of virus taxonomy by expert virologists who traditionally rely on extensive virus characterization. In this proof-of-principle study, we address this issue by presenting a computational approach (DEmARC) to classify viruses of a family into groups at hierarchical levels using a sole criterion-intervirus genetic divergence. To quantify genetic divergence, we used pairwise evolutionary distances (PEDs) estimated by maximum likelihood inference on a multiple alignment of family-wide conserved proteins. PEDs were calculated for all virus pairs, and the resulting distribution was modeled via a mixture of probability density functions. The model enables the quantitative inference of regions of distance discontinuity in the family-wide PED distribution, which define the levels of hierarchy. For each level, a limit on genetic divergence, below which two viruses join the same group, was objectively selected among a set of candidates by minimizing violations of intragroup PEDs to the limit. In a case study, we applied the procedure to hundreds of genome sequences of picornaviruses and extensively evaluated it by modulating four key parameters. It was found that the genetics-based classification largely tolerates variations in virus sampling and multiple alignment construction but is affected by the choice of protein and the measure of genetic divergence. In an accompanying paper (C. Lauber and A. E. Gorbalenya, J. Virol. 86:3905-3915, 2012), we analyze the substantial insight gained with the genetics-based classification approach by comparing it with the expert-based picornavirus taxonomy.

Evolutionary analysis of serotype A foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in Pakistan and Afghanistan during 2002-2009

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three different serotypes of the virus, namely O, A and Asia-1, are responsible for the outbreaks of this disease in these countries. In the present study, the nucleotide-coding sequences for the VP1 capsid protein (69 samples) or for all four capsid proteins (P1, seven representative samples) of the serotype A FMD viruses circulating in Pakistan and Afghanistan were determined. Phylogenetic analysis of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) VP1-coding sequences from these countries collected between 2002 and 2009 revealed the presence of at least four lineages within two distinct genotypes, all belonging to the Asia topotype, within serotype A. The predominant lineage observed was A-Iran05 but three other lineages (a new one is named here A-Pak09) were also identified. The A-Iran05 lineage is still evolving as revealed by the presence of seven distinct variants, the dominant being the A-Iran05AFG-07 and A-Iran05BAR-08 sublineages. The rate of evolution of the A-Iran05 lineage was found to be about 1.2×10(-2) substitutions per nucleotide per year. This high rate of change is consistent with the rapid appearance of new variants of FMDV serotype A in the region. The A22/Iraq FMDV vaccine is antigenically distinct from the A-Iran05BAR-08 viruses. Mapping of the amino acid changes between the capsid proteins of the A22/Iraq vaccine strain and the A-Iran05BAR-08 viruses onto the A22/Iraq capsid structure identified candidate amino acid substitutions, exposed on the virus surface, which may explain this antigenic difference.

The codon usage model of the context flanking each cleavage site in the polyprotein of foot-and-mouth disease virus

To investigate the codon usage pattern of the contexts flanking 11 cleavage sites of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) polyprotein, the codon usage model of the corresponding codon position and the synonymous codon usage in the target contexts of 66 strains were characterized by two simple methods based on the relative synonymous codon usage value. The synonymous codons usage pattern was also compared between this virus and two species of hosts (cattle and domestic pig). It is indicated that FMDV bore a general resemblance to the hosts in terms of the synonymous codon usage pattern. This feature may help FMDV to utilize translational resources of host efficiently. The two amino acid residues constituting each cleavage site contain at least one conserved residue. It was noticed that the codon usage model with the strong bias appeared in some specific positions in the target contexts, and the under-represented synonymous codons, AUA for Ile, CUA for Leu, UUA for Leu and GUA for Val, are preferentially used in these positions. These under-represented synonymous codons likely play role in regulating the translation rate and influencing the secondary structure of the contexts flanking the cleavage sites.

Genome-wide evidence for positive selection and recombination in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

Background

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an economically important animal pathogen that causes contagious pleuropneumonia in pigs. Currently, the molecular evolutionary trajectories for this pathogenic bacterium remain to require a better elucidation under the help of comparative genomics data. For this reason, we employed a comparative phylogenomic approach to obtain a comprehensive understanding of roles of natural selective pressure and homologous recombination during adaptation of this pathogen to its swine host.

Results

In this study, 12 A. pleuropneumoniae genomes were used to carry out a phylogenomic analyses. We identified 1,587 orthologous core genes as an initial data set for the estimation of genetic recombination and positive selection. Based on the analyses of four recombination tests, 23% of the core genome of A. pleuropneumoniae showed strong signals for intragenic homologous recombination. Furthermore, the selection analyses indicated that 57 genes were undergoing significant positive selection. Extensive function properties underlying these positively selected genes demonstrated that genes coding for products relevant to bacterial surface structures and pathogenesis are prone to natural selective pressure, presumably due to their potential roles in the avoidance of the porcine immune system.

Conclusions

Overall, substantial genetic evidence was shown to indicate that recombination and positive selection indeed play a crucial role in the adaptive evolution of A. pleuropneumoniae. The genome-wide profile of positively selected genes and/or amino acid residues will provide valuable targets for further research into the mechanisms of immune evasion and host-pathogen interactions for this serious swine pathogen.

Evidence of intra-segmental homologous recombination in influenza A virus

The evolution of influenza viruses is remarkably dynamic. Influenza viruses evolve rapidly in sequence and undergo frequent reassortment of different gene segments. Homologous recombination, although commonly seen as an important component of dynamic genome evolution in many other organisms, is believed to be rare in influenza. In this study, 256 gene segments from 32 influenza A genomes were examined for homologous recombination, three recombinant H1N1 strains were detected and they most likely resulted from one recombination event between two closely rated parental sequences. These findings suggest that homologous recombination in influenza viruses tends to take place between strains sharing high sequence similarity. The three recombinant strains were isolated at different time periods and they form a clade, indicating that recombinant strains could circulate. In addition, the simulation results showed that many recombinant sequences might not be detectable by currently existing recombinant detection programs when the parental sequences are of high sequence similarity. Finally, possible ways were discussed to improve the accuracy of the detection for recombinant sequences in influenza.

Phylogenomics and molecular evolution of foot-and-mouth disease virus

This report describes the use of Bayesian methods to analyze polyprotein coding region sequences (n = 217) obtained from GenBank to define the genome-wide phylogeny of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV). The results strongly supported the monophyly of five FMDV serotypes, O, A, Asia 1, C, and SAT 3, while sequences for the two remaining FMDV serotypes, SAT 1 and SAT 2 did not separate into entirely distinct clades. The phylogenomic tree revealed three sister-group relationships, serotype O + Asia 1, A + C, and SAT 1 + 3 + 2, with a new branching pattern: {[(O, Asia 1), (A, C)], (SAT 1, 2, 3)}. Within each serotype, there was no apparent periodic, geographic, or host species influence on the evolution of global FMDVs. Analysis of the polyprotein coding region of these sequences provided evidence for the influence of purifying selection on the evolution of FMDV. Using a Bayesian coalescent approach, the evolutionary rate of FMDV isolates that circulated during the years 1932-2007 was estimated to be 1.46 × 10(-3) substitutions/site/year, and the most recent common ancestor of the virus existed approximately 481 years ago. Bayesian skyline plot revealed a population expansion in the early 20(th) century that was followed by a rapid decline in population size from the late 20(th) century to the present day. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms that impact on the evolution of this important livestock pathogen.

Molecular epidemiology of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes A and O with emphasis on Korean isolates: temporal and spatial dynamics

We determined complete 1D gene sequences for one serotype A and seven additional serotype O Korean foot-and-mouth disease viruses (FMDV) and then analyzed them together with published sequences for 180 type A and 300 type O isolates from throughout the world using a Bayesian coalescent approach. Here, Korean serotype A virus was linked with those from Laos. Korean serotype O viruses were divided into three clades and were closely related to isolates from Japan, Thailand, the UK, France, Ireland, South Africa, and Singapore, as well as Laos. There was no apparent correlation between time, country, or host species and the evolution of global FMDVs. Additionally, our results showed that purifying selection acts on the overall 1D sequences and there was no evidence of recombination among the FMDV sequences. The evolutionary rates were 5.77 × 10(-3) substitutions/site/year for serotype A and 4.81 × 10(-3) substitutions/site/year for serotype O. Serotype A viruses diverged approximately 110 years ago, while serotype O isolates segregated approximately 127 years before the present. In both serotype isolates, the effective number of infections remained constant until the late 1990 s, after which the virus population size underwent a rapid, sharp decline until the present.

Analysis of synonymous codon usage in foot-and-mouth disease virus

In this study, we calculate the relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values and codon usage bias (CUB) values to carry out a comparative analysis of codon usage pattern for open reading frames (ORFs) among 85 samples which belong to all seven serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Although the degree of CUB for ORFs is a relatively slight, there is a significant variation for CUB among different serotypes, which is mainly determined by codon usage pattern depending on RSCU. By comparison with RSCU values for all samples, although RSCU values fail to show the relationship of specific-lineage serotype, there are two main genetic populations existing in FMDV, namely (i) serotypes Asia 1, A, C & O; (ii) serotypes SAT 1, 2 & 3. This interesting characteristic may be formed by the mechanism of RNA virus recombination. The analysis of quantitative & qualitative evaluation based on CUB indicates interesting characteristic of codon usage, which suggests that more FMDV genome diversity may exist in specific-lineage serotypes rather than exist randomly. Furthermore, the relationship between amino acids and codon usage pattern indicates that mutation pressure rather than translational selection in nature is the important determinant of the codon usage bias observed. Our work might give some sight into some characteristics of FMDV ORF and some evolutionary information of this virus.

Evolution of Picornaviridae: an examination of phylogenetic relationships and cophylogeny

Picornaviruses are responsible for some of the most common and debilitating illnesses affecting humans and animals worldwide. To extend our knowledge of the evolution of picornaviruses and their molecular epidemiology, phylogenetic relationships among 11 genera and the unassigned seal picornavirus type 1 were estimated from the conserved proteins 2C, 3C(pro), and 3D(pol). Each gene was analyzed separately and as a combined dataset. Different tree topologies were recovered from each gene. However, their sequences were determined to be combinable based on our finding of no recombination among genera and failing to reject the hypothesis of homogeneity among datasets using ILD tests. The combined data tree topology was identical to the 3D(pol) gene tree; a topology largely consistent with previous phylogenetic hypotheses based on 3D(pol) and the coding genome. Phylogenetic trees estimated from six phenotypic characters were not congruent with those recovered from molecular datasets; further supporting the hypothesis that viral phenotypes are highly plastic. Finally, we tested the hypothesis of host-virus cophylogeny. Both global and individual tests of the relationships between host and virus trees failed to detect a significant association. These results emphasize the importance of horizontal transmission among host species for picornavirus diversification rather than vertical transmission accompanying speciation.

Phylogenetic relationships and molecular adaptation dynamics of human rhinoviruses

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are responsible for nearly 50% of all common cold infections. Ordinarily, HRV infections are mild and self-limiting; nonetheless, every year they result in significant loss of economic productivity and substantial inappropriate antibiotic use. Development of effective vaccine and antiviral prophylaxis against HRV has been hampered by the extensive antigenic diversity present among the nearly 100 serotypes. To gain new insights into the evolutionary processes that create the genetic diversity present among HRVs, we tested for recombination and selection for individual genes and the coding genome for 45 HRV serotypes using estimated phylogenetic relationships. Although the structural capsid genes and nonstructural genes recovered incongruent tree topologies, no recombination was detected using substitution methods. Therefore, the coding genome was determined to be appropriate for phylogenetic tests. Results of the Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH) test support the hypothesis that the capsid genes recover a different evolutionary history than the nonstructural genes. Our best phylogenetic estimate based on the coding genome suggests that HRV-B is more closely related to enterovirus than to HRV-A; however, several alternative phylogenetic hypotheses were not rejected by the SH test. Positive selection was examined by using two different approaches; d(N)/d(S) rate ratio and the physicochemical phenotypes for 31 amino acid properties. Analyses using d(N)/d(S) failed to detect positive selection. However, protein phenotypic expression appears to be a more sensitive approach. There was extensive stabilizing and destabilizing positive selection in HRV-A major and HRV-B serotypes for all proteins, except in 3A in HRV-B, which overlapped with functional, structural, and to a greater extent in uncharacterized genomic regions. In contrast, the evolution of HRV-A minor serotypes appears to be driven primarily by destabilizing selection. Our results demonstrate that HRV-A major, HRV-A minor, and HRV-B serotypes have not been similarly influenced by purifying selection.