Abstract:
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, contagious, fatal disease of domestic
and wild small ruminants caused by PPR virus (PPRV). A cross-sectional study was
conducted to (i) detect PPRV infection, establish the viral lineage and identify the
possible source of its introduction and spread in Morogoro district between
November 2014 and January 2015 and (ii) determine presence of PPR in selected
villages of Ngorongoro district. Clinical samples of six goats from Morogoro urban
and Melela village and 252 caprine and ovine sera from villages within and outside
Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) were subjected to molecular and
serological analyses, respectively. Peste des petitsruminants virus was identified in
two goats from Morogoro through amplification of the viral nucleoprotein (N) gene.
Phylogenetic analysis of the obtained N gene nucleotide sequences clustered the
virus into lineage III and was 99% identical to that of Dakawa reported in 2013.
Interviews revealed the source of outbreak in Morogoro urban to be introduction of
purchased goats from a livestock market in affected district of Mvomero and
interaction of herds in a grazing area was a factor for its spread within the
municipality. Overall serology results for samples from Ngorongoro showed 58.33%
of animals were infected by PPRV. Percentage of seropositive animals (70.54%)
from outside NCAA was significantly higher (P=0.0004) than that from within
NCAA (48.57%). It is concluded that PPR is not only persistent in previously
affected areas, but also is actively spreading to naive areas of Tanzania. It is
recommended that veterinary authorities should be vigilant and strict in restricting
movement of livestock from affected areas in order to contain PPR.
