Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae and genus morbillivirus. It is a highly contagious, fatal and economically important viral disease of small ruminants that is still endemic and militate against the production of sheep and goats in Nigeria. It is a notifiable disease according to the World Organization for Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties). In this study, a molecular analysis of PPRV from sheep and goats from recent outbreaks across the different regions of Nigeria was carried out. The aim was to describe the viral strains and the movement of the virus within the country compared to other endemic areas of the world. This was carried out through tissue and swab samples collected from sheep and goats in various agro-ecological zones of Nigeria.The evolution and relationship of earlier PPRV strains/isolates and those circulating and causing recent outbreaks was determined by sequencing of the nucleoprotein (N)-gene. Twenty tissue and swab samples from apparently healthy and sick sheep and goats were collected randomly from each of three states of each of the six agro-ecological zones visited. A total of 360 samples were collected. A total of 35 samples of 360 (9.7 %) tested positive by RT-PCR, of which 25 were from oculo-nasal swabs and 10 were from tissue samples (Table 4.2). Phylogenetic analysis was carried out using the N-gene sequences of the PPRV amplicons. Alignment of the sequences and related sequences from GenBank and neighbor-joining phylogenetic analysis using PAUP identified four different lineages, i.e. lineages I, II, III and IV. Interestingly, the Nigerian strains described in this study grouped in two separate major lineages i.e. lineages II and IV. Strains from Sokoto, Oyo, Plateau and Ondo states grouped according to the historical distribution of PPRV together with the Nigerian 75/1 strain of lineage II, while other strains from Sokoto, Oyo, Plateau, Akwa-Ibom, Adamawa, Kaduna, Lagos, Bauchi, Niger and Kano states grouped together with the East-African and Asian strains of lineage IV. This finding suggests that both lineages II and IV strains of PPRVs are circulating presently in Nigeria, contrary to an earlier publication which indicated that only strains of lineage II were circulating in the country (Shamaki, 2002). / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / unrestricted