Serological Evidence of PPR Virus in Chadian Camels

Peste des petits ruminants are an acute fever disease of goats and sheep. It is characterized in these animals by mucopurulent nasal and ocular discharge, erosive and necrotic stomatitis, enteritis and pneumonia. It is widespread, virulent and devastating, with significant impacts on the economy, food security and livelihoods of marginalized pastoralists. This study provides information on the serological prevalence of PPR virus in 510 camel. Most of the samples for this study were obtained at the N’Djamena abattoir. Sera used to detect PPR virus antibodies were not necessarily representative of the target population, although they came from a larger number of provinces. The test used for the analysis of these sera is the competition ELISA (c-ELISA) developed by CIRAD and marketed by IDVET. Examination of the 510 sera collected from camels revealed that the serological prevalence of PPR virus was 25.88%. This seroprevalence of PPR virus varied by province, age group, and geographic area. The study showed a much higher seroprevalence in animals ranging in age from 6 to 10 years than in animals of other age groups. In view of these results, an additional study is to be undertaken on the epidemiological surveillance in the camel population throughout the national territory to detect clinical cases of this disease in camels. In addition, it would be desirable to carry out a serological survey of this disease nationally on random representative sampling in order to find out the true seroprevalence rate of peste des petits ruminants in Chadian dromedaries.