Seroprevalence and risk factors for peste des petits ruminants and selected differential diagnosis in sheep and goats in Tanzania

Abstract

Introduction: Livestock husbandry is critical for food security and poverty reduction in a low-income country like Tanzania. Infectious disease is one of the major constraints reducing the productivity in this sector. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is one of the most important diseases affecting small ruminants, but other infectious diseases may also be present. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors for exposure to PPR, contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), bluetongue (BT), and bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) in sheep and goats in Tanzania. Methods: Serum samples were collected in 2014 and 2015, and analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to detect antibodies to the five pathogens. Results and discussion: This is the first description of seroprevalence of FMD and BT among small ruminants in Tanzania. Risk factor analysis identified sex (female) (OR for 2014: PPR: 2.49, CCPP: 3.11, FMD: 2.98, BT: 12.4, OR for 2015: PPR: 14.1, CCPP: 1.10, FMD: 2.67, BT: 1.90, BVD: 4.73) and increasing age (>2 years) (OR for 2014: PPR: 14.9, CCPP: 2.34, FMD: 7.52, BT: 126, OR for 2015: PPR: 8.13, CCPP: 1.11, FMD: 2.98, BT: 7.83, BVD: 4.74) as risk factors for exposure to these diseases.

Detection of peste des petits ruminants and concurrent secondary diseases in sheep and goats in Ngorongoro district, Tanzania

“…In this study, there was no statistical difference between males and females. This finding is different from another study done in Tanzania where females were more likely to be seropositive than males (Torsson et al 2017). It is believed that females are used in reproduction hence kept longer in the herd than males, therefore, have a longer risk period for exposure in the herd.…”

“…In East Africa, PPR was detected in Kenya and Uganda in 2007, while in Tanzania, it was officially confirmed in 2008 (Kivaria et al 2009;Swai et al 2009). The disease is considered endemic in Tanzanian domestic sheep and goat populations (Torsson et al 2017;Kgotlele et al 2016).…”

Epidemiological study on foot-and-mouth disease in small ruminants: sero-prevalence and risk factor assessment in Kenya

“…A significant difference was observed in sero-prevalence of FMD among mature (23.6%) and young sheep and goats (10.1%). This is in agreement with the results of others [44,45] although the sero-positivity levels in our study were lower. The difference in sero-positivity between age groups may be due to the fact that mature animals may have experienced more exposures to FMD at grazing, watering point and at market than in age group less than one year.…”

“…In this study the country sero-prevalence of FMD in SR was found to be 23.3% similar to what has been reported in other countries where FMD is endemic [41,42]. It is however higher than that reported in Ethiopia, Israel, Libya and Sudan [33,34,36,37,43] but about half of what has been reported in Tanzania and Myanmar [39,44,45]. A previous study in cattle in Kenya showed much higher sero-prevalence in cattle at 52.5% [70] and unpublished data obtained at the same time with this current study in Kenyan cattle revealed a sero-prevalence rate of 37.6% in cattle.…”

Peste des petits ruminants Virus Transmission Scaling and Husbandry Practices That Contribute to Increased Transmission Risk: An Investigation among Sheep, Goats, and Cattle in Northern Tanzania

“…Boxplots of variation in PPRV seroprevalence by species and production system at the village level, sub-village level, and household herd level; Figure S3. Standardized force of infection (FOI, year −1 ) estimates at the village level (previous work [19]), sub-village level, and household herd level by species; Figure S4. Spatial variation in the standardized force of infection (FOI, year −1 ) estimates; Figure S5.…”