Detection of Peste des petits ruminants virus and goatpox virus from an outbreak in goats with high mortality in Meghalaya state, India

• Published in: Veterinary World Vol. 9; no. 9; pp. 1025 - 1027
• Main Authors: Karim, A, Bhattacharjee, U, Puro, K, Shakuntala, I, Sanjukta, R, Das, S, Ghatak, S, Sen, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Veterinary World 01.09.2016
• Subjects: Capripoxvirus; Causes of; disease; Diseases and pests; Epidemics; goat; Goats; Identification and classification; India; mortality; Paramyxoviruses; Peste des petits ruminants; Poxviruses; India; mortality; disease; goat; Peste des petits ruminants; Capripoxvirus
• ISSN: 0972-8988; 2231-0916
• DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2016.1025-1027

We describe a laboratory investigation carried out to confirm the etiology of the heavy mortality (37 animals died out of total 44, i.e. 84%) in goats in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya, Northeast region of India in December 2015. The clinical signs observed were abortion, diarrhea, high fever (up to 104°F), pox lesion in the skin, and respiratory distress. The samples comprising whole blood, sera, and pox lesion were collected from the animals (n=7) from an outbreak for the screening of (PPR) and poxviruses. The whole blood and sera were used for screening of PPR virus (PPRV) by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and antibody by competitive ELISA as well as detection of PPRV partial N gene by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The skin lesions were used for the detection of poxvirus by PCR. The results showed the presence of PPR antigens (58-80%) in the samples by sandwich ELISA and antibody in all the sera samples ranging from 9% to 41% positivity in competitive ELISA. Four samples were positive for PPRV partial N gene. The skin lesion screened for poxvirus was also found to be positive for I3L gene of goatpox virus. We confirm the outbreak of disease in goats with high mortality is a case of mixed infection of PPR and goatpox detected for the first time in Northeast India.