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ABSTRACT
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, geographical distribution, and main risk factors for peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in the Republic of Chad.
Materials and methods: A total of 3,546 sera collected from unvaccinated small ruminants including 1,699 goats and 1,847 sheep in 19 of the 23 regions in Chad were randomly sampled. The competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technics were used for serological analysis.
Results: The overall seroprevalence at the individual level was 52.9%±1.6% (48.9% for goats and 56.2% for sheep). Seroprevalence observed in the Chari Baguirmi, Ouaddai, and N'Djamena regions was significantly higher than those in the other regions. Transhumant herds are the most exposed than the sedentary ones. Older animals were more affected than the young ones. Kababich sheep are the most affected than other breeds.
Conclusion: This study has shown that the PPR virus is circulating in the Republic of Chad. In view of the results obtained, the disease is enzootic in the country. Epidemiological information obtained including seroprevalence rate, risk factors (sex, breed, age, and mode of rearing), and geographical distribution will help to define an appropriate strategy for PPR control in the Republic of Chad.
ARTICLE HISTORY
Received 22 June 2018
Revised: August 08, 2018
Accepted 19 August 2018
Published November 09, 2018
KEYWORDS
ELISA; goats; Kababich sheep; PPR; seroprevalence
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0)
Introduction
The Republic of Chad is a vast country in the heart of Africa with an area of 1,284,000 km2. It is bordered on the North by Libya, on the East by Sudan, on the West by Niger, on the South by the Central African Republic, and on the Southwest by Cameroon and Nigeria (Fig. 1). Administratively, Chad is divided into 23 regions where the departments, districts, township, and villages are included.
After oil, the economy of the Republic of Chad is based mainly on agriculture and livestock. The livestock sector in the country occupies an essential place in the national economy [1]. The livestock gross domestic product (GDP) accounts for over 35% of agricultural GDP and 19% of national GDP. At the social level, livestock provides a source of incomes for the most...