Recent studies have shown that bovine leukemia virus (BLV) sequences can be classified into seven distinct genotypes based on full gp51 sequence. This classification was based on available sequence data that mainly represented the BLV population that is circulating in cattle from the US and South America. In order to aid with a global perspective inclusion of data from Eastern Europe is required. In this study we examined 44 BLV isolates from different geographical regions of Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. Phylogenetic analysis based on a 444bp fragment of env gene revealed that most of isolates belonged to genotypes 4 and 7. Furthermore, we confirmed the existence of a new genotype, genotype 8, which was highly supported by phylogenetic computations. A significant number of amino acid substitutions were found in the sequences of the studied Eastern European isolates, of which 71% have not been described previously. The substitutions encompassed mainly the C-part of the CD4+ epitope, zinc binding peptide region, CD8+ T cell epitope, and overlapping linear epitope E. These observations highlight the use of sequence data to both elucidate phylogenetic relationships and the potential effect on serological detection of geographically diverse isolates.

Our study demonstrates the repeated isolation of vaccine-derived Newcastle disease viruses from different species of wild birds across four continents from 1997 through 2014. The data indicate that at least 17 species from ten avian orders occupying different habitats excrete vaccine-derived Newcastle disease viruses. The most frequently reported isolates were detected among individuals in the order Columbiformes (n = 23), followed in frequency by the order Anseriformes (n = 13). Samples were isolated from both free-ranging (n = 47) and wild birds kept in captivity (n = 7). The number of recovered vaccine-derived viruses corresponded with the most widely utilized vaccines, LaSota (n = 28) and Hitchner B1 (n = 19). Other detected vaccine-derived viruses resembled the PHY-LMV2 and V4 vaccines, with five and two cases, respectively. These results and the ubiquitous and synanthropic nature of wild pigeons highlight their potential role as indicator species for the presence of Newcastle disease virus of low virulence in the environment. The reverse spillover of live agents from domestic animals to wildlife as a result of the expansion of livestock industries employing massive amounts of live virus vaccines represent an underappreciated and poorly studied effect of human activity on wildlife.

Despite the existence of 10 avian paramyxovirus (APMV) serotypes, very little is known about the distribution, host species, and ecological factors affecting virus transmission. To better understand the relationship among these factors, we conducted APMV wild bird surveillance in regions of Ukraine suspected of being intercontinental (north to south and east to west) flyways. Surveillance for APMV was conducted in 6,735 wild birds representing 86 species and 8 different orders during 2006 to 2011 through different seasons. Twenty viruses were isolated and subsequently identified as APMV-1 (n= 9), APMV-4 (n= 4), APMV-6 (n= 3), and APMV-7 (n= 4). The highest isolation rate occurred during the autumn migration (0.61%), with viruses isolated from mallards, teals, dunlins, and a wigeon. The rate of isolation was lower during winter (December to March) (0.32%), with viruses isolated from ruddy shelducks, mallards, white-fronted geese, and a starling. During spring migration, nesting, and postnesting (April to August) no APMV strains were isolated out of 1,984 samples tested. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of four APMV-1 and two APMV-4 viruses showed that one APMV-1 virus belonging to class 1 was epidemiologically linked to viruses from China, three class II APMV-1 viruses were epidemiologically connected with viruses from Nigeria and Luxembourg, and one APMV-4 virus was related to goose viruses from Egypt. In summary, we have identified the wild bird species most likely to be infected with APMV, and our data support possible intercontinental transmission of APMVs by wild birds.

The Ukraine ranks among the top 20 countries with the highest number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis cases in the world. However, little is known of the genetic diversity, i.e., resistance signatures, in clinical isolates from this region. We analyzed seven of most prevalent MDR/XDR antibiotic resistance-conferring genes from clinical isolates ( n = 75) collected from geographically diverse Ukrainian oblasts and the southern Crimean peninsula. Genomic analysis revealed that 6 (8%) were sensitive, 3 (4%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic but were not MDR, 40 (53%) were MDR, and 26 (35%) were XDR. The majority of isolates (81%) were of the Beijing-like lineage. This is the first study to use next-generation sequencing (NGS) of clinical isolates from the Ukraine to characterize mutations in genes conferring M. tuberculosis drug resistance. Several isolates harbored drug resistance signatures that have not been observed in other countries with high-burden tuberculosis. Most notably, the absence of inhA gene promoter mutations, a diversity of mutation types in the rpoB resistance-determining region, and detection of heteroresistance provide a broader understanding of MDR/XDR from this area of the world.