Diagnosis and Control of Peste des Petits Ruminants Disease in Small Ruminants: A Review

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is an acute highly contagious febrile disease of sheep and goats characterized by erosive and necrotizing stomatitis and associated with severe pneumo-enteritis and bronchopneumonia ended by recovery or death. The aim of the present study was to throw light on the diagnosis and control of PPR. Diagnosis of PPR depends on clinical signs, pathological lesions, and specific detection of the viral antigen, viral genome, or specific antibodies by serological tests and nucleic acid-based assays. The most commonly used diagnostic techniques are cell culture isolation, agar gel immunodiffusion, hemagglutination tests, immunocapture ELISA, and competitive ELISA. In addition to the abovementioned techniques, virus neutralization tests and reverse transcriptase PCR are used. Peste des Petits Ruminants is characterized by high fever associated with watery nasal and ocular discharges, mucopurulent stomatitis, and broncho-pneumonia. Moreover, severe bloody diarrhea and the disease associated with high levels of mortality reached up to 90%. The diagnosis of viral diseases is important in determining the control strategies. Therefore, it can be concluded that recent diagnostic tools are urgently needed not only for the diagnosis but also for following-up combating programs and control of viral diseases. Early and rapid complete identification of infectious viral agents in small ruminants as well as in the surrounding environment is recommended for effective control of PPR. The control program depends mainly on vaccination, hygiene and sanitation measures, and effective quarantine measures.