Review Of Peste Des Petits Ruminants In Sheep

Abstract

Peste des petit ruminants [PPR] is an acute or sub-acute febrile, highly contagious and often fatal disease of sheep, goats and wild small ruminants. The disease is characterized by fever, erosive stomatitis, conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia and causes serious economic losses in small ruminant’s production. Peste des Petits Ruminants is endemic in Sub-saharan Africa extending to the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle Eastern countries and India. Peste des petit ruminants virus is transmitted by close contact between infected and non-infected susceptible animals, which is likely to occur in common grazing and watering points. Infected animals shed PPRV in exhaled air, in secretions, and excretions. In the field, a presumptive diagnosis of PPR can be made on the basis of clinical, pathological, and epizootiological findings. However laboratory confirmation of PPR may be performed through virus isolation, detection of viral antigens, nucleic acid isolation and sequencing; and detection of specific antibody in the serum. The Food and Agricultural organization and the Office International des Epizooties have developed a global eradication strategy aimed at control and eradication of the disease by the year 2030.