Seroepidemiology of peste des petits ruminants virus in small ruminants in selected districts in Northwest Ethiopia.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is one of the most severe diseases of small ruminants, causing the loss of millions of dollars annually. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the seroepidemiology of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) in unvaccinated sheep and goats in selected districts in Northwest Ethiopia. The study was designed to investigate the epidemiology of PPRV in unvaccinated sheep and goats and risk factors in the study areas. A multi-stage sampling was used to select study districts, villages and households with a random sampling approach. Study animals (403 sheep and goats) older than 5 months were selected with a systematic random sampling approach. From the animals, blood samples were aseptically collected and PPRV antibodies from the serum were analysed with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall seroprevalence of antibodies to PPRV was 32.5% in both species. It was higher in goats with a prevalence of 34.7% than in sheep (28.3%). District, herd size, sex, animal origin and grazing management were significantly associated with seropositivity of animals to PPRV antibodies. If an animal was from the Dangur district, it had 2.6 times higher chance of being positive than in the Dibati district (OR = 2.6, p = 0.01 and 95% CI = 1.2- 5.6). Herd size was also significantly correlated with the seropositivity with (OR = 4, p = 0.001, and 95% CI = 1.8-9). Also, male animals had 1.7 times higher chance of being positive than females. Further, if an animal comes from the market, it has 2.7 times higher chance of being positive compared to animals born and raised on the farm. The seropositivity indicates that the disease is circulating in the study areas. Hence, preventive approaches, like vaccination campaigns and strict biosecurity measures, are highly advised to avoid the catastrophic impact of the diseases if an outbreak occurs.

Abesha H ，Teshome Y ，Alemu YF ，Dejene H ，Tarekegn ZS ，Assefa A ... -  《Veterinary Medicine and Science》

Seroepidemiology of Peste des Petits ruminants in sheep and goats in the selected district of Horu Guduru Zone, Western Ethiopia.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is an acute, highly contagious, economically important transboundary viral disease of small ruminants. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of PPR in small ruminants in selected districts of Horo Guduru Zone, Western Ethiopia. A total of 806 blood samples, corresponding to 124 flocks comprised of 387 sheep and 419 goats, were collected using multi-stage sampling. The sera were tested using competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA). A pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect data on potential risk factors for PPRV infection. Pearson's Chi-Square and logistic regression analyses were used to see the association of the seroprevalence with potential risk factors. The flock-level overall seroprevalence of PPR was 27.42% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 19.79-36.15%). An overall animal level seroprevalence of 5.71% (95% CI: 4.21-7.54%) was recorded with 6.98% (95% CI: 4.65-10.00%) seroprevalence in sheep and 4.53% (95% CI: 2.75-6.99%) in goats. There was a significant association between the seroprevalence and risk factors that were sharing common grazing land (P = 0.032), the introduction of newly purchased animals into the flock (P = 0.011), and uncontrolled animal movements in goats (P = 0.018). Sharing common grazing land with other flocks in goats (P = 0.026) and midland altitude in sheep (P = 0.029) were the other predictors of PPR. The seropositivity in unvaccinated small ruminants suggests the circulation of the virus. Therefore, awareness creation, vaccination, strengthening the disease surveillance system and large-scale epidemiological and molecular studies are suggested.

Gelana M ，Gebremedhin EZ ，Gizaw D 《-》

Epidemiology of peste des petits ruminants in selected districts of Borena zone, Ethiopia.

Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is a contagious disease caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). The disease poses a significant economic threat to small ruminant production in Ethiopia, particularly to the striving pastoral production system. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of PPR in the small ruminants of the Borena Zone. A total of 384 serum samples were collected randomly from sheep and goats and examined for the presence of PPRV antibodies using competition enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (c-ELISA). Additionally, a retrospective analysis of five years of outbreak data was performed to provide insight into the spatial and temporal distribution of the disease. The seroprevalence of PPRV antibodies in nonvaccinated, vaccinated, and unknown vaccination status of small ruminants in this study was found to be 32.1%, 68.8%, and 45.5%, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed a statistically significant association between PPRV seropositivity and several factors, including age, animal origin, flock size, and veterinary services status. A retrospective analysis revealed 53 PPR outbreaks in the Borena Zone from 2018 to 2022, exacerbated by low vaccination coverage relative to the at-risk animal population. The study revealed significant gaps in current vaccination efforts, with herd immunity levels falling below the FAO-WOAH recommended threshold of 80%. Despite Ethiopia's ambitious goal to eradicate PPR by 2027, the frequent outbreaks and insufficient herd immunity highlight the inadequacy of the existing strategies. To effectively move toward eradication, Ethiopia must align its approach with the global PPR eradication framework, which emphasizes a comprehensive strategy that includes diagnostics, surveillance, prevention, and the establishment of a robust veterinary regulatory system, rather than relying solely on vaccination. Overcoming logistical challenges, improving vaccination coverage, and optimizing the timing of vaccination campaigns, especially in hard-to-reach areas, will be crucial for reducing outbreaks and making progress toward eradication.

Kumbe A ，Negussie H ，Getachew Y ，Alemu B ，Alemayehu G ，Girma S ，Sibhatu D ，Emiyu K ，Waktole H ，Leta S ... -  《BMC Veterinary Research》

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of peste des petits ruminants among ovine and caprine in selected districts of Afar region, Ethiopia.

A Peste des petits ruminant is an acute, highly contagious and economically important transboundary viral disease of small ruminants. Despite the fact that food and agriculture organization and world organization for animal health plan to eradicate the disease by 2030, some studies indicated an increasing seropositivity of PPR infection in sheep and goats in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was employed to estimate the seroprevalence of PPR and to assess risk factors during the study period, February to April, 2020. Following purposive selection of the study districts, simple random sampling technique was employed to select individual animal during sample collection. A total of 384 serum samples were collected from apparently healthy sheep and goats. Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay was used to detect the presence of antibodies against PPR at national veterinary institute. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's chi-square (X2) and logistic regression analysis were used is this study. The overall animal level seroprevalence of PPR virus was found to be 60.15% (n = 231/384) and species level prevalence rate was found to be 38.18% (n = 42) in sheep and 68.98% (n = 189) in goats in the study areas. Among the associated risk factors considered; species, sex, age and herd sizes were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with the disease occurrence. Among the associated risk factors considered in this study, species, sex, age and herd size were found to be statistically associated with the seropositivity of PPR infection. The present study finding revealed that a higher seroprevalence of PPR virus infection and this confirms peste des petits ruminant virus is circulating in Afar region. Further studies should be carried out on the entire region to determine PPR seroprevalence and to develop appropriate control and eradication strategies of PPR disease.

Dubie T ，Dagnew B ，Gelo E ，Negash W ，Hussein F ，Woldehana M ... -  《BMC Veterinary Research》

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Peste des petits ruminants in different production systems in Uganda.

Nkamwesiga J ，Lumu P ，Nalumenya DP ，Korennoy F ，Roesel K ，Wieland B ，Perez A ，Kiara H ，Muhanguzi D ... -  《-》