Abstract
BackgroundPeste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants in Asia and Africa. In 2008, a PPR outbreak was reported for the first time in Morocco and a mass vaccination campaign allowed control of the disease. In this study, the susceptibility of four Moroccan local breeds of small ruminants to PPR virus was investigated by experimental infections. The objective was to make recommendations for improved epidemiological surveillance in Morocco by evaluating the susceptibility of the dominant Moroccan small ruminant breeds. Three parameters were studied: hyperthermia, clinical scoring and virus excretion. The outcome was compared to Alpine goats, which are considered one of the most sensitive breeds.ResultsThe study showed that the local goat breed was the most sensitive breed with a susceptibility rate of 67%, followed by Timahdit, Beni Guil and Sardi sheep with 48, 29 and 26%, respectively. Serological testing including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and viral neutralization showed that the Timahdit breed developed a stronger antibody response compared to the other breeds. Although the clinical signs observed in the sheep were mild, evidence of viral excretion was detected by means of a polymerase chain reaction assay.ConclusionsIt is recommended that effective surveillance should focus on susceptible breeds complemented with serological surveillance of the sheep population.
Highlights
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants in Asia and Africa
We investigated the susceptibility of three local Moroccan sheep breeds and a goat breed by experimental infection with Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV)
The highest average value of days with hyperthermia per group occurred in the local goat breed (11.3 days) followed by the Timahdit sheep (TM) sheep (7.2 days) (Table 1)
Summary
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants in Asia and Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) [4, 5] and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) have implemented a global eradication program by prioritizing epidemiological surveillance, In this study, we investigated the susceptibility of three local Moroccan sheep breeds and a goat breed by experimental infection with PPRV. These local breeds represent 79% of the Moroccan sheep population and 64% of goats in Morocco. This is the first time breed susceptibility is tested by experimental challenge with PPRV
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