Epidemiology of viruses in the livestock in Tanzania : a minor field study with focus on Peste des Petits Ruminants virus

Abstract: Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a disease of major socioeconomic impact. It is an acute and highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants caused by the agent Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus (PPRV), a Morbillivirus closely related to Rinderpest virus (RPV) which was declared eradicated from the world in 2011. PPR has a high morbidity and mortality rate and is characterised by high fever, nasal and ocular discharge, pneumonia, necrosis and ulceration of the mucous membranes and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract causing severe diarrhoea. The role of wildlife in the epidemiology of the disease is still unclear. The disease is currently affecting sheep and goat in 70 countries worldwide and this year (2014) FAO has announced a program to eradicate the virus by 2030. In Tanzania, the disease was first reported in 2008 and has since then spread to different parts of the country. Tanzania is currently the southern border of the disease in the world but the risk of spread even further south is considered to be high. This Minor Field Study is a part of a bigger three-year project with focus on evaluating the role of wildlife in the PPR epidemiology. I have investigated the presence of PPRV-antibodies in sheep and goat in two different regions of Tanzania where the domestic animals intermingle with the wildlife. A total number of 476 animals were sampled and analysed and the overall seroprevalence of PPRV was 43.2% in sheep and 49.0% in goats. The results indicate the presence and activity of the virus in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated areas of the country.