Review of peste des petits ruminants occurrence and spread in Tanzania
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an important transboundary animal disease of domestic
small ruminants, camels, and wild artiodactyls. The disease has significant socio-economic impact on
communities that depend on livestock for their livelihood and is a threat to endangered susceptible
wild species. The aim of this review was to describe the introduction of PPR to Tanzania and its sub-
sequent spread to different parts of the country. On-line databases were searched for peer-reviewed
and grey literature, formal and informal reports were obtained from Tanzanian Zonal Veterinary
Investigation Centres and Laboratories, and Veterinary Officers involved with PPR surveillance
were contacted. PPR virus (PPRV) was confirmed in northern Tanzania in 2008, although serological
data from samples collected in the region in 1998 and 2004, and evidence that the virus was already
circulating in Uganda in 2003, suggests that PPRV might have been present earlier than this. It is
likely that the virus which became established in Tanzania was introduced from Kenya between
2006–7 through the cross-border movement of small ruminants for trade or grazing resources, and
then spread to eastern, central, and southern Tanzania from 2008 to 2010 through movement of
small ruminants by pastoralists and traders. There was no evidence of PPRV sero-conversion in
wildlife based on sera collected up to 2012, suggesting that they did not play a vectoring or bridging role in the establishment of PPRV in Tanzania. PPRV lineages II, III and IV have been detected,
indicating that there have been several virus introductions. PPRV is now considered to be endemic
in sheep and goats in Tanzania, but there has been no evidence of PPR clinical disease in wildlife
species in Tanzania, although serum samples collected in 2014 from several wild ruminant species
were PPRV sero-positive. Similarly, no PPR disease has been observed in cattle and camels. In
these atypical hosts, serological evidence indicates exposure to PPRV infection, most likely through
spillover from infected sheep and goats. Some of the challenges for PPRV eradication in Tanzania
include movements of small ruminants, including transboundary movements, and the capacity of
veterinary services for disease surveillance and vaccination. Using wildlife and atypical domestic
hosts for PPR surveillance is a useful indicator of endemism and the ongoing circulation of PPRV
in livestock, especially during the implementation of vaccination to control or eliminate the disease
in sheep and goats. PPR disease has a major socio-economic impact in Tanzania, which justifies the
investment in a comprehensive PPRV eradication programme.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Peste des petits ruminants, Peste des petits ruminants virus, Transboundary animal diseases, Epidemiology, Surveillance, Sheep, Goat, Small ruminant
Citation
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061698