Abstract
African horse sickness virus (AHSV) causes a non-contagious, infectious insect-borne disease of equids and it is endemic in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa but extends beyond its endemic zones to the Arabian Peninsula, Asia and Europe. The usual mode of transmission is by biting midge, a biological vector and Culicoides imicola appears to be the principal vector. Serum samples were screened from camels and donkeys for AHSV antibodies using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Results revealed that 16/22 (73%) donkeys had been exposed to AHSV. All 85 camels screened in the study tested negative to AHSV. This was the first study of AHSV in Uganda and it was geared at creating awareness for the veterinary service needs of these animal species which is non-existent so far. Key words: African horse sickness virus (AHSV), Culicoides spp., camels, donkeys, Uganda.
Highlights
African horse sickness (AHS) is caused by a double stranded RNA virus of the family Reoviridae of the genus Orbivirus
The horse medicine aspect of veterinary service in Uganda is not developed possibly because horses are not common in Uganda and their economic importance is limited. For this reason few people keep horses for prestige and deaths in these horses are common because during an emergency, the Ugandan veterinarians lack the expertise in horse medicine. This is the first report of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) in Uganda and it is geared at creating awareness for the need for equine veterinary intervention in these animals
16/22 donkeys tested positive to AHSV antibodies
Summary
African horse sickness (AHS) is caused by a double stranded RNA virus of the family Reoviridae of the genus Orbivirus. This could manifest as the cardio-pulmonary or mixed form or the peracute or pulmonary form (Maurer and McCully, 1963; Newsholme et al, 1983; Theiler, 1921). This is the first report of AHSV in Uganda and it is geared at creating awareness for the need for equine veterinary intervention in these animals
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