Serological detection and confirmation of PPR among sheep and goat kept under different production systems

Abstract

The current study was executed to explore the prevalence of PPR in different production systems of sheep and goat in district Nowshera, KPK. A total of 246 serum samples were randomly collected from three age groups (<1 year, 1-2 year and >2 years) of sheep and goats. Competitive ELISA was performed to evaluate sero-prevalence of PPR in goats and sheep. The swab and tissue samples were collected from the surrounding areas from suspected sheep and goats to confirm the PPRV. Out of total 246 sera, 144 (58.54%) samples were found seropositive for PPRV. PPR was more prevalent in sheep (61.82%) as compared to goats (55.88%). In sheep population, the highest prevalence was recorded in the transhumant production system with 73.3% seropositive for PPRV. Younger animals seemed to be more susceptible to PPRV infection, 58.82% goats of age less than 1 year were seropositive for PPRV as compared to 51.43% of goats above 2 years. Results of antigen detections showed that the outbreaks were going in study population and confirmed positive for PPRV by IcELISA and RT-PCR (N-gene). The study revealed a comparison of PPRV occurrence in the different production system of small ruminants and on-going disease outbreaks in the target area.