Peste des petits ruminants virus infection at the wildlife-livestock interface in the Greater Serengeti ecosystem, 2015-2019

Jones, Bryony A; Mahapatra, Mana; Mdetele, Daniel; Keyyu, Julius; Gakuya, Francis; Eblate, Ernest; Lekolool, Isaac; Limo, Campaign; Ndiwa, Josephine N; Hongo, Peter; Wanda, Justin S; Shilinde, Ligge; Mdaki, Maulid; Benfield, Camilla; Parekh, Krupali; Neto, Martin M; Ndeereh, David; Misinzo, Gerald; Makange, Mariam R; Caron, Alexandre; Bataille, Arnaud; Libeau, Geneviève; Guendouz, Samia; Swai, Emanuel S; Nyasebwa, Obed; Koyie, Stephen; Oyas, Harry; Parida, Satya; Kock, Richard

Abstract

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep that occurs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with severe impact on livelihoods and livestock trade. Many wild artiodactyls are susceptible to PPR virus (PPRV) infection, and some outbreaks have threatened endangered wild populations. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global PPR Eradication Programme. These studies aimed to investigate PPRV infection in wild artiodactyls in the Greater Serengeti and Amboseli ecosystems of Kenya and Tanzania. Out of 132 animals purposively sampled in 2015-16, 19.70% were PPRV sero-positive by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) from the following species; African buffalo, wildebeest, topi, kongoni, Grant's gazelle, impala, Thomson's gazelle, warthog and gerenuk, while waterbuck and lesser kudu were sero-negative. In 2018-19, a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected African buffalo and Grant's gazelle herds was conducted, and 12.04% of 191 African buffalo and 1.44% of 139 Grant's gazelles were cELISA positive. All ocular and nasal swabs and faeces were negative by PPRV real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Investigations of PPR-like disease in sheep and goats confirmed PPRV circulation in the area by rapid detection test and/or RT-qPCR. These results demonstrate serological evidence of PPRV infection in wild artiodactyl species at the wildlife-livestock interface in this area where PPRV is endemic in domestic small ruminants. Exposure to PPRV could be via spill-over from infected small ruminants or transmission between wild animals, while the relatively low sero-prevalence suggests that sustained transmission is unlikely. Further studies of other major wild species in this ecosystem are required.

Citation

Jones, B. A., Mahapatra, M., Mdetele, D., Keyyu, J., Gakuya, F., Eblate, E., …Kock, R. (2021). Peste des petits ruminants virus infection at the wildlife-livestock interface in the Greater Serengeti ecosystem, 2015-2019. Viruses,

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 29, 2021
• Publication Date: May 6, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: May 6, 2021
• Journal: Viruses
• Publisher: MDPI
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: PPR; epidemiology; transboundary animal disease; surveillance; eradication; wild animals; sheep; goats; Kenya; Tanzania
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1444347