New genomic study unlocks key to battling lumpy skin disease in cattles of Bangladesh

A new genomic study on the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) isolated from recent outbreaks in Bangladesh has unveiled critical genetic characteristics, offering new avenues for developing targeted control strategies against the devastating cattle disease.

The research titled "Genome-wide characterization of lumpy skin disease virus isolate from Bangladesh", published in Nature.com, utilised Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) to analyse the genome-wide structure of the Bangladesh LSDV isolate.

It found a high degree of genetic conservation, showing 99.9% concordance with existing strains.

However, the team of scientists identified several minute point mutations and small structural variations that contribute to the strain's unique local variability.

The disease, once confined to sub-Saharan Africa, has become a growing global and national concern.

By mapping these precise genomic features, the research claims to pave the way for the development of highly specific control measures, including targeted therapeutic interventions and effective vaccine formulations tailored to the strains circulating in Bangladesh.

Insights into viral structure

LSDV, a member of the Capripoxvirus genus, is a significant threat to agricultural productivity, causing fever, nodular skin lesions, and substantial economic losses due to decreased milk and meat production.

The study provided crucial details about the virus's genetic architecture as it identified 156 unique protein-coding sequences, with approximately 71.8% classified as soluble proteins and 28.2% as membrane-associated proteins, offering insight into the virus's functional diversity.

Crucially, the analysis of repetitive DNA sequences — long considered "junk" DNA but now recognised as key regulatory elements — revealed mechanisms that suggest the virus is optimised for compact stability.

The findings highlighted a predominance of short tandem repeats (10–30 base pairs) characterised by low complexity and an unusually high thymine content (92%).

Researchers believe these repeats, which are closely associated with viral genes, suggest a selection for compact, stable elements essential for maintaining genome integrity.

Regulatory roles and future control

Researchers established a strong correlation between the size of these repetitive elements and their conservation score, suggesting that longer repeats are vital for the virus's overall stability, while shorter repeats may provide the functional flexibility needed for host adaptation and immune evasion.

The study strongly suggests these repetitive elements play an important regulatory role in gene transcription or genome organisation, enabling the virus to adapt swiftly to host environments.

The findings are expected to contribute significantly to the global understanding of LSDV's evolutionary dynamics and pathogenesis.