Prevalence and mortality rate of peste des petitis ruminant (PPR): possible association with abortion in goat

Present study was designed to investigate the prevalence and mortality (%) caused by Peste des Petitis Ruminant (PPR) and its possible association with abortion in goat flocks at different areas of Pakistan. A total of 140 animals were samples in the population of 650 which was having 185 deaths (Mortality rate = 28 %) from three different regions of the country. There were 58 abortions in the 140 pregnant goats of above said population One hundred & ten (110) serum samples from diseased, recovered and apparently healthy animals were tested for the presence of PPR antibodies by competitive ELISA (c ELISA). Eighty-four (84) animals were positive for PPR antibodies whereas in apparently healthy adult goats in the same flock, no PPR antibodies were detected. Twenty-four (24) tissue samples collected from the dead animals and six samples from aborted fetus were tested for the presence of PPR antigen by Immuno-capture ELISA (Ic ELISA). Nineteen (19) out of thirty (30) organ samples mainly from lung, spleen, lymph node were found positive for PPR antigen but negative from lungs of aborted fetus. There was a high rate of abortions (28-45%) in each of the outbreak and it was highest in the outbreak of Golra Sharif, Islamabad (No. = 21 in total population of 100). As the serum samples from the aborted dams were found positive for PPR antibodies so the study provides the possible association of mortality and prevalence of PPR disease with high rate of abortions in goat.