Seroprevalence of Bluetongue Disease among Domestic Ruminants Raised in International Border Areas of Nepal
Seroprevalence of Bluetongue Disease among Domestic Ruminants Raised in International Border Areas of Nepal
Bikash Puri1, Anil K. Tiwary2, Bharata Regmi3,4, Dinesh K. Singh1, Doj R. Khanal5 and Manoj K. Shah3*
ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to assess the seroprevalence of Bluetongue disease and understand its associated risk factors from the international border areas of Nepal. A total of 220 blood samples were collected randomly from apparently healthy ruminants (cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat) and screened for Bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies in sera using a cELISA kit. Out of 220 sera samples, 92 were positive for BTV, accounting for 41.8% prevalence in ruminants. Seroprevalence rate was the highest in Buffaloes (58.3%) followed by sheep and goats (each 40%), and cattle (37.5%). The BTV seropositivity varied significantly (p<0.001) among ruminants in different sampling areas with the highest prevalence in Gokuleshwor (66.6%). Interestingly, the BTV was detected higher (p<0.01) in females (48.36%) and older ruminants (49.12%). The seroprevalence of BTV showed a significant association (p<0.01) with vector density and resulted in 46.5% of seropositivity. It was concluded that bluetongue disease exists in the international border areas of Nepal and its prevalence was widespread among cattle, buffalo, sheep and goat. The present study showed sex, age and vector population as the main influential risk factors for BTV infection. Further studies are imperative to identify the vector from different agro-climatic zones at the species level and to serotype the BTV prevalent in the study areas.
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