An investigation on the prevalence of peste des petits ruminants in the camels of Sindh, Pakistan

The present study investigated the status of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) for the first time in the camels of Pakistan. The samples were collected from the camel residing area of Sindh, Pakistan, and analyzed for breeds (Dhatti and Larri), districts (Tharparkar and Umerkot), age (young, adult, and old), and sexes (male and female). The sera samples (n = 200) were analyzed for the detection of antibodies using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Moreover, the nasal and fecal samples were screened for the PPR virus. Finally, the positive nasal and fecal samples were validated using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocapture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ic-ELISA). The cELISA results showed an overall prevalence of 8.5% PPR in the study area. The camels of Tharparkar (10.9%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.2-12.9) showed higher seroprevalence of PPR antibodies than those of Umerkot (5.5%; 95% CI 4.1-7.2). Moreover, the Larri breed exhibited slightly greater resistance against the disease, because the camels of Dhatti breed (9.0%; 95% CI 7.5-11.0) exhibited a numerically higher (p > 0.05) seroprevalence of PPR in comparison with those of Larri breed (7.9%; 95% CI 6.4-9.9). Furthermore, the young and old camels were more susceptible to the disease attack, because the adults (6.3%; 95% CI 5.0-7.8) exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower prevalence rate than the young (9.2%; 95% CI 7.6-11.1) and old (10.3%; 95% CI 8.9-11.9) camels. Finally, the results of the Ic-ELISA and HA test established the 8.3 and 8.2% prevalence of PPR antigen in nasal and fecal material samples, respectively, while the RT-PCR results validated the seropositive animals. These findings confirmed that the prevalence of PPRV infection in the camels of the Sindh province of Pakistan hence urged the need to take effective measures for prevention and control of the disease.