Seroprevalence of Antibodies to Peste Des Petits Ruminants at Various Governmental Livestock Farms of Punjab, Pakistan

The main purpose of this study was to look into the prevalence of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in some governmental livestock farms in northeast Pakistan, to ascertain differences in seroprevalence between imported verses local breeds and to find age and sex predisposition to PPR. A total of 280 serum samples from different unvaccinated breeds of sheep (198) and goats (82) were collected from January to July 2007. These samples were subjected to monoclonal antibodies-based competitive ELISA (cELISA) for the specific measurement of antibodies to PPR virus. Findings suggested that the seropositive cases were significantly higher in sheep (38.8%) than in goats (25.6%) (p = 0.034). The overall seroprevalence of PPR in small ruminants was 35.0%. There was no evidence (p = 0.098) of differences in seroprevalence between samples from three different locations. Based on the seroepidemiology, an insignificant difference (p = 0.056) was found in goat breeds while a significant difference (p = 0.023) was observed in sheep breeds. As regards to age, PPR antibodies were significantly (p = 0.016) higher in three age groups (young, adult and mature) of sheep while there was an insignificant difference (p = 0.385) in goat age groups. The influence of sex on PPR prevalence was estimated to be insignificant (p = 0.062) in all the breeds of sheep and goats. Given the high prevalence for PPR among all breeds (local and imported), it is advisable to include PPR serology in the sero-monitoring program to give a better indication of herd immunity and to establish appropriate PPR control measures in small ruminants, especially at governmental livestock farms.