Abstract:
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute viral disease of small ruminants caused
by PPR virus (PPRV). For many years, the disease was mainly confined to West and
Central Africa but has now spread southwards to previously PPR-free countries. The
disease was first reported in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2012. The
disease causes high morbidities of up to 100 % and mortality rates between 50 and
90% in domestic small ruminants (goats and sheep) leading to the socio economic
loss impact to the farmers. This study aimed to perform molecular diagnosis and
sero-prevalence of PPR associated with transmission risk factors in unvaccinated
sheep and goats from South-Kivu in province in DRC using respectively reverse-
transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), competitive enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (cELISA) and a structured questionnaire. The results showed
with cELISA an overall seroprevalence of 28.5% (n=319), out of which 11.3% and
32.7% seropositivity was found in sheep and goats, respectively. Peste des petits
ruminants seroprevalence was higher in the territories that recorded high rainfall,
34.5% (n=142) in Shabunda and 29.4% (n=79) in Mwenga. In a total of 11 risk
factors investigated four were found to be associated with PPR seroprevalence
(p≤0.05). Among them we have animal’s age (OR: 9.34), grazing and farming
system (6.28), territory geographic location (OR: 5.1) and the animal’s origin (OR:
0.5). Peste de petits ruminants seroprevalence was higher in small ruminants kept in
communal grazing system (30.6%) and free ranging system (31.2%). Sheep and
goats of >12 months had a significantly higher PPR seroprevalence (35.1%). As no
PPRV RNA was detected in any of the blood collected using reverse transcriptase
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we recommend further studies to be focused
on molecular characterization and isolation of PPR virus.
