Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University Veterinary Research Forum 2008-8140 16 11 2025 11 01 Comparative analysis of VP1 epitopic variation among different isolates of foot-and-mouth disease virus type-O during an outbreak in the Punjab province of Pakistan 621 628 729956 10.30466/vrf.2025.2041201.4458 EN Atia Rasheed Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan Imran Altaf Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan 0000-0002-0157-4239 Faisal Ayub Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan 0000-0002-3497-6592 Arslan Rasheed Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lahore College for Woman University, Lahore, Pakistan Rasheeda Bashir Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lahore College for Woman University, Lahore, Pakistan Farheen Aslam Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lahore College for Woman University, Lahore, Pakistan Iram Waqar Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lahore College for Woman University, Lahore, Pakistan Hafsa Hamid Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Lahore College for Woman University, Lahore, Pakistan Abdul Razak Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan Kamran Saeed Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan 0009-0009-1274-9653 Journal Article 2024 09 22 Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly transmissible pathogen causing severe economic losses in the global livestock sector. Frequent outbreaks of FMDV type-O in Pakistan highlight the need for continuous genomic and antigenic surveillance to track its evolution. This study aimed to isolate and molecularly characterize FMDV type-O from an outbreak in the Punjab province of Pakistan using in vitro cell culture techniques. Samples were processed for viral isolation on a susceptible cell line, followed by RNA extraction. The VP1 gene, pivotal for antigenicity and immunogenicity, was amplified using a one-step polymerase chain reaction protocol. Purified amplicons underwent sequencing, and the nucleotide sequences were translated into amino acid sequences for further analysis. Protein three-dimensional modeling and in silico comparison were performed against the vaccinal seed strain PanAsia-2. The VP1 sequence analysis revealed notable genetic variability among the isolates, indicating adaptive evolution. Structural and antigenic modeling uncovered key differences between the field isolates and vaccinal strain, suggesting potential antigenic drift, which could undermine vaccine performance. The study underscores the dynamic evolution of FMDV type-O in Pakistan and the critical importance of ongoing genomic monitoring to refine vaccine strategies and enhance outbreak control. Foot-and-mouth disease virus Immunogenicity In silico Polymerase chain reaction VP1 protein https://vrf.iranjournals.ir/article_729956_8d4167c43a7a904eafedc203d7ea4d9c.pdf