The genome sequence of the virulent Kabete 'O' strain of rinderpest virus: comparison with the derived vaccine

Institute for Animal Health, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK We have compared the complete genome sequences of the vaccine strain of rinderpest virus and the virulent strain from which it was derived. Only 87 bases differed between the two genomes (0.55%). Possibly significant differences in amino acid sequence were found in the N, P, F, H and L proteins. A number of differences were also found in the leader region (3' end of the genome), whilst the trailer region appears to be more conserved. In addition, the length of the genome was found in both cases to be 15882, an exact multiple of six, fulfilling predictions made earlier based on work with Sendai and measles viruses. Received 3 June 1996; accepted 29 July 1996.