Bluetongue Virus Antibodies in Domestic Goats: A Countrywide and Retrospective Study in the Republic of Korea

Abstract

Bluetongue is a re-emergent arthropod-transmitted viral disease that affects all wild and domestic ruminant species, reducing herd productivity. The epidemiology of bluetongue virus (BTV) infection is poorly defined in much of the world, including extensive portions of Asia and the Middle East. In the Republic of Korea (ROK), scarce information is available on the status of BTV infection. Despite evidence of BTV in neighboring countries, such as the People's Republic of China and Japan, and the presence of Culicoides species that have recently been reported as possible vectors for BTV transmission, no serological data on BTV infection or circulation have been reported in the ROK. The objective of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of BTV antibodies in the domestic goat population to glean further insights into BTV epidemiology in ROK. The results of this study indicate that in 2012-2013, on a countrywide level, the estimated seroprevalence rate of BTV antibodies was 15.7% (50/318) in domestic goat flocks and 11.7% (94/802) in individual animals. To our knowledge, this is the first serological evidence of antibodies against circulating BTV in the domestic goat population in the ROK.