Infectious Disease · Public Health ·
PPRV Spread in Southeastern Europe Linked to Romania and Animal Trade
A phylodynamic analysis of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), combined with field investigations across seven affected countries, examined the virus’s spread from 2024 to January 2026. The authors identify eastern Romania as the likely introduction point and report links between cross-border transmission and recorded live-animal trade, while noting evidence of undetected circulation.
- Eastern Romania was identified as the likely introduction point.
- 183 outbreaks were reported across seven countries.
- Trade records were linked to cross-border viral transmission.
- Variable signs may have delayed outbreak detection.
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious disease of sheep and goats. Researchers analyzed outbreak records and whole-genome virus sequences alongside veterinary investigations to assess the origins and routes of PPRV spread in southeastern Europe during 2024–2026. The analysis covered Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Kosovo and Croatia; the source does not state the number of sequences analyzed.
From July 2024 through January 2026, authorities reported 183 outbreaks in small-ruminant holdings across the seven countries. The combined genetic and epidemiologic evidence points to eastern Romania as the likely site of introduction and a source of regional spread. Genetic evidence of cross-border transmission was strongly associated with official records of live-animal trade. Investigations also implicated illegal trade and indirect transmission. Gaps in the viral phylogeny and variable clinical signs suggest that infections circulated undetected in multiple areas.
The authors warn that continued spread remains possible and call for coordinated cross-border surveillance, timely data sharing and integrated control. This is an early-release research article, and the journal notes that it is not a final version. The findings are based on available sequences, outbreak records and trade data; the study does not establish the contribution of each transmission route with certainty.
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Emerging Infectious Diseases: Cryptic Invasion and Transmission Dynamics of Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus, Europe, 2024–2026 ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.