Network and were explored at a recent multistakeholder meeting hosted by the European Commission ... more Network and were explored at a recent multistakeholder meeting hosted by the European Commission for the Control of FMD. The aim of this paper is to promote wider awareness of the Nagoya Protocol, and to highlight its impacts on the regular exchange and utilisation of biological materials collected from clinical cases which underpin FMD research activities, and work to develop new epidemiologically relevant vaccines and other diagnostic tools to control the disease.
Background Toxoplasma gondii is a major problem for the sheep industry as it may cause reproducti... more Background Toxoplasma gondii is a major problem for the sheep industry as it may cause reproduction problems. The importance of T. gondii in Norwegian goat herds is uncertain, but outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in dairy goat farms have been recorded. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of T. gondii infection in Norwegian dairy goats by using serology. Findings Goat serum originally collected as part of two nationwide surveillance and control programmes between 2002 and 2008 were examined for T. gondii antibodies by using direct agglutination test. In total, 55 of 73 herds (75%) had one or more serologically positive animals, while 377 of 2188 (17%) of the individual samples tested positive for T. gondii antibodies. Conclusions This is the first prevalence study of T. gondii infection in Norwegian goats. The results show that Norwegian goat herds are commonly exposed to T. gondii. Nevertheless, the majority of goat herds have a low prevalence of antibody positive animals...
Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manif... more Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), it has the potential for causing devastating outbreaks in horses. Up till now, there were no reported EHM outbreaks in donkeys and mules. This study describes the isolation and molecular characterization of EHV-1 from clinically EHM-affected horses (n = 6), mules (n = 3) and donkeys (n = 82) in Ethiopia during outbreaks from May 2011 to December 2013. The incidence of EHM cases was higher from April to mid-June. EHM in donkeys was more severe and death without clinical signs of paralysis, and recumbency was frequently observed. The main age of affected equines ranged from 7 to 10 years (n = 51; 56.0%), and females (n = 58; 63.7%) were more affected than males. The incidence of neuropathogenic (D 752) and non-neuropathogenic (N 752) variants of EHV-1 from EHM-affected equines in Ethiopia was assessed by sequencing the DNA polymerase gene (ORF30) of the EHV-1 isolates. The results indicated that from the total of 91 clinically affected equines, 90 (98.9%) of them had an ORF30 D 752 genotype. An ORF30 N 752 variant was only found in one donkey. Analysis of ORF68 as grouping marker for geographical differences showed that the Ethiopian EHV-1 isolates belong to geographical group 4. Due to the fatal nature of EHV-1 in donkeys, it would be interesting to examine the pathogenesis of EHM in this species. At present, there is no vaccine available in Ethiopia, and therefore, outbreaks of EHV-1 should be controlled by proper management adaptations. In addition, it is important to test the efficacy of the commercial vaccines not only in horses, but also in donkeys and mules.
Infections with equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are widespread in equine populations worldwide. Where... more Infections with equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are widespread in equine populations worldwide. Whereas both EHV-1 and EHV-4 produce well-documented respiratory syndromes in equids, the contribution of EHV-2 and EHV-5 to disease of the respiratory tract is still enigmatic. This study describes the detection and genetic characterization of EHVs from equids with and without clinical respiratory disease. Virus-specific PCRs were used to detect EHV-1, -2, -4 and -5. From the total of 160 equids with respiratory disease, EHV-5 was detected at the highest prevalence (23.1%), followed by EHV-2 (20.0%), EHV-4 (8.1%) and EHV-1 (7.5%). Concurrent infections with EHV-2 and EHV-5 were recorded from nine (5.2%) diseased horses. Of the total of 111 clinically healthy equids, EHV-1 and EHV-4 were never detected whereas EHV-2 and EHV-5 were found in 8 (7.2%) and 18 (16.2%) horses, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of EHV-2-infected equids was observed in the respiratory disease group (32/160, 20.0%; P = 0.005) compared to those without disease (8/111; 7.2%). EHV-2-positive equids were three times more likely to display clinical signs of respiratory disease than EHV-2-negative equids (OR 3.22, 95% CI: 1.42-7.28). For EHV-5, the observed difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.166). The phylogenetic analysis of the gB gene revealed that the Ethiopian EHV-2 and EHV-5 strains had a remarkable genetic diversity, with a nucleotide sequence identity among each other that ranged from 94.0 to 99.4% and 95.1 to 100%, respectively. Moreover, the nucleotide sequence identity of EHV-2 and EHV-5 with isolates from other countries acquired from GenBank ranged from 92.9 to 99.1% and 95.1 to 99.5%, respectively. Our results suggest that besides EHV-1 and EHV-4, EHV-2 is likely to be an important contributor either to induce or predispose equids to respiratory disease. However, more work is needed to better understand the contribution of EHV-2 in the establishment of respiratory disease.
Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming seri-ous problem in ... more Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming seri-ous problem in some parts of the country. The objective of this study is to investi-gate the prevalence of leech in selected streams in Sodo district, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and to evaluate the efficacy of endod on leech in field condition and its impact on other non-target aquatic fauna following the request of the district craving for intervention. Estimation of prevalence of leech was assessed before application; 24 hrs, 10 days and 30 days post application of endod based on the number of leeches collected per person per 5 minutes. Find-ings from interview of the local communities revealed that 95 % of the respondents rated leech as the major animal health problem in the district and 65 % of them have seen human infested by leech at least once in their life. The mean leech count per person per 5 minutes before application of endod ranged from 16.8-38 in dif-ferent streams...
African swine fever (ASF) is an important emerging transboundary animal disease (TAD), which curr... more African swine fever (ASF) is an important emerging transboundary animal disease (TAD), which currently has an impact on many countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Russian Federation. The current situation in Europe shows the ability of the virus to rapidly spread, which stands to threaten the global swine industry. At present, there is no viable vaccine to minimize spread of the disease and stamping out is the main source of control. In February 2011, Ethiopia had reported its first suspected outbreaks of ASF. Genomic analyses of the collected ASF virus (ASFV) strains were undertaken using 23 tissue samples collected from domestic swine in Ethiopia from 2011 to 2014. The analysis of Ethiopian ASFVs partial p72 gene sequence showed the identification of a new genotype, genotype XXIII, that shares a common ancestor with genotypes IX and X, which comprise isolates circulating in Eastern African countries and the Republic of Congo. Analysis of the p54 gene also followed the p72 pattern and the deduced amino acid sequence of the central variable region (CVR) of the B602L gene showed novel tetramer repeats not previously characterized.
SUMMARYPrior to the recent outbreak of equine encephalosis in Israel in 2009, equine encephalosis... more SUMMARYPrior to the recent outbreak of equine encephalosis in Israel in 2009, equine encephalosis virus (EEV) had only been isolated from equids in South Africa. In this study we show the first evidence for the circulation of EEV beyond South Africa in Ethiopia, Ghana and The Gambia, indicating that EEV is likely to be freely circulating and endemic in East and West Africa. Sequence analysis revealed that the EEV isolate circulating in The Gambia was closely related to an EEV isolate that was isolated from a horse from Israel during the EEV outbreak in 2009, indicating that the two viruses have a common ancestry. Interestingly horses in Morocco tested negative for EEV antibodies indicating that the Sahara desert may be acting as a geographical barrier to the spread to the virus to North African countries. This evidence for EEV circulation in countries in East and West Africa sheds light on how the virus may have reached Israel to cause the recent outbreak in 2009.
Antigen detection ELISA procedures. Antigen detection ELISA procedures and result interpretation ... more Antigen detection ELISA procedures. Antigen detection ELISA procedures and result interpretation during the study were discussed in detail. (DOCX 13Â kb)
Serological diagnostic tests procedures. Procedures and principles of the test during the study w... more Serological diagnostic tests procedures. Procedures and principles of the test during the study were discussed in detail. (DOCX 12Â kb)
Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate d... more Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate disease confirmation. Currently, clinical samples are usually tested in reference laboratories using standardized assays recommended by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). However, the requirements for prompt and serotype-specific diagnosis during FMD outbreaks, and the need to establish robust laboratory testing capacity in FMD-endemic countries have motivated the development of simple diagnostic platforms to support local decision-making. Using a portable thermocycler, the T-COR TM 8, this study describes the laboratory and field evaluation of a commercially available, lyophilized pan-serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay and a newly available FMD virus (FMDV) typing assay (East Africa-specific for serotypes: O, A, Southern African Territories [SAT] 1 and 2). Analytical sensitivity, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the pan-serotype-specific lyophilized assay were comparable to that of an OIE-recommended laboratorybased rRT-PCR (determined using a panel of 57 FMDV-positive samples and six non-FMDV vesicular disease samples for differential diagnosis). The FMDV-typing assay was able to correctly identify the serotype of 33/36 FMDV-positive samples (no cross-reactivity between serotypes was evident). Furthermore, the assays were able to accurately detect and type FMDV RNA in multiple sample types, including epithelial tissue suspensions, serum, oesophageal-pharyngeal (OP) fluid and oral swabs, both with and without the use of nucleic acid extraction. When deployed in laboratory and field settings in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, both assays reliably detected and serotyped FMDV RNA in samples (n = 144) collected from pre-clinical, clinical and clinically recovered cattle. These data support the use of field-ready rRT-PCR platforms in endemic settings for simple, highly sensitive and rapid detection and/or characterization of FMDV.
Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manif... more Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), it has the potential for causing devastating outbreaks in horses. Up till now, there were no reported EHM outbreaks in donkeys and mules. This study describes the isolation and molecular characterization of EHV-1 from clinically EHM-affected horses (n = 6), mules (n = 3) and donkeys (n = 82) in Ethiopia during outbreaks from May 2011 to December 2013. The incidence of EHM cases was higher from April to mid-June. EHM in donkeys was more severe and death without clinical signs of paralysis, and recumbency was frequently observed. The main age of affected equines ranged from 7 to 10 years (n = 51; 56.0%), and females (n = 58; 63.7%) were more affected than males. The incidence of neuropathogenic (D 752) and non-neuropathogenic (N 752) variants of EHV-1 from EHM-affected equines in Ethiopia was assessed by sequencing the DNA polymerase gene (ORF30) of the EHV-1 isolates. The results indicated that from the total of 91 clinically affected equines, 90 (98.9%) of them had an ORF30 D 752 genotype. An ORF30 N 752 variant was only found in one donkey. Analysis of ORF68 as grouping marker for geographical differences showed that the Ethiopian EHV-1 isolates belong to geographical group 4. Due to the fatal nature of EHV-1 in donkeys, it would be interesting to examine the pathogenesis of EHM in this species. At present, there is no vaccine available in Ethiopia, and therefore, outbreaks of EHV-1 should be controlled by proper management adaptations. In addition, it is important to test the efficacy of the commercial vaccines not only in horses, but also in donkeys and mules.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. ... more Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. A field based outbreak study was conducted in September 2016/ 2017 to identify and genetically characterize O serotype from clinical and asymptomatic cases at Welmera district Menagesha kolobo kelebe of central Oromia. The investigation was purposively conducted in the respective farms where outbreak occurred. Accordingly, 50 dairy cattle were clinically examined and about 20 (40%) animals showed sign and clinical lesions of the disease. Accordingly, active epithelial tissues and probang samples were taken from acutely and severely infected animals for virus isolation, typing and genetic detection. These clinical samples were processed for antigen typing and O serotype was isolated from clinical and asymptomatic cases in the farm. The genetic material of this strain was tested by rRT-PCR and the viral genome was detected in the epithelial tissues and probang samples. In conclusion, the study showed that O serotype was circulating in the district. Therefore, foot and mouth disease control should be established based on the availability of potent and matched vaccines against the circulating field strains.
A cross-sectional serological, active outbreak search and a questionnaire-based survey were carri... more A cross-sectional serological, active outbreak search and a questionnaire-based survey were carried out to investigate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) sero-epidemiology in Ethiopia. The circulating serotype of the FMD virus (FMDV) was identified, and the knowledge regarding FMD and husbandry practices was assessed. Using the questionnaire survey, a total of 237 individuals were interviewed, and the majority responded that there is no practice of reporting disease outbreak, free in and out movement of livestock, or share pastures, and they use traditional case management as a means of controlling the disease. A total of 1938 cattle, 490 domestic small ruminants, and 426 swine were sampled randomly for serological analysis using the 3ABC non-structural protein (NSP) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. An overall prevalence of 25% in cattle, 5% in domestic small ruminants, and 2% in swine was recorded. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that cattle from the Oromia, Tigray,...
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an epitheliotropic and trans-boundary viral disease affecting cat... more Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an epitheliotropic and trans-boundary viral disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats and wild animals around the globe including Ethiopia. Outbreak based and crosssectional study design was conducted from September 2016 to April 2017 with the objectives of, serotyping, molecular characterization of isolates and to determine risk factors for the occurrence of the disease in selected outbreak areas of Oromia region. Purposive sampling was done in the respective districts and kebeles where the outbreaks occurred. A total of 586 accessible cattle were examined in six districts and 226 (38.6%) showed clinical signs of the disease. out of this, 352 animals were examined at Adea berga dairy farm. Hence, outbreaks were investigated by collecting 113 samples from sick animals. Moreover, 312 bovine sera were collected from welmera district during the outbreak. The risk factor outbreak analysis showed that the overall morbidity and mortality at Adea berga dairy fa...
DOI: 10.15580/GJAS.2019.3.072319141 Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral diseas... more DOI: 10.15580/GJAS.2019.3.072319141 Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. A field based outbreak study was conducted in September 2016/ 2017 to identify and genetically characterize O serotype from clinical and asymptomatic cases at Welmera district Menagesha kolobo kelebe of central Oromia. The investigation was purposively conducted in the respective farms where outbreak occurred. Accordingly, 50 dairy cattle were clinically examined and about 20 (40%) animals showed sign and clinical lesions of the disease. Accordingly, active epithelial tissues and probang samples were taken from acutely and severely infected animals for virus isolation, typing and genetic detection. These clinical samples were processed for antigen typing and O serotype was isolated from clinical and asymptomatic cases in the farm. The genetic material of this strain was tested by rRTPCR and the viral genome was detected in the epithelial tissues and pr...
Network and were explored at a recent multistakeholder meeting hosted by the European Commission ... more Network and were explored at a recent multistakeholder meeting hosted by the European Commission for the Control of FMD. The aim of this paper is to promote wider awareness of the Nagoya Protocol, and to highlight its impacts on the regular exchange and utilisation of biological materials collected from clinical cases which underpin FMD research activities, and work to develop new epidemiologically relevant vaccines and other diagnostic tools to control the disease.
Background Toxoplasma gondii is a major problem for the sheep industry as it may cause reproducti... more Background Toxoplasma gondii is a major problem for the sheep industry as it may cause reproduction problems. The importance of T. gondii in Norwegian goat herds is uncertain, but outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in dairy goat farms have been recorded. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of T. gondii infection in Norwegian dairy goats by using serology. Findings Goat serum originally collected as part of two nationwide surveillance and control programmes between 2002 and 2008 were examined for T. gondii antibodies by using direct agglutination test. In total, 55 of 73 herds (75%) had one or more serologically positive animals, while 377 of 2188 (17%) of the individual samples tested positive for T. gondii antibodies. Conclusions This is the first prevalence study of T. gondii infection in Norwegian goats. The results show that Norwegian goat herds are commonly exposed to T. gondii. Nevertheless, the majority of goat herds have a low prevalence of antibody positive animals...
Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manif... more Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), it has the potential for causing devastating outbreaks in horses. Up till now, there were no reported EHM outbreaks in donkeys and mules. This study describes the isolation and molecular characterization of EHV-1 from clinically EHM-affected horses (n = 6), mules (n = 3) and donkeys (n = 82) in Ethiopia during outbreaks from May 2011 to December 2013. The incidence of EHM cases was higher from April to mid-June. EHM in donkeys was more severe and death without clinical signs of paralysis, and recumbency was frequently observed. The main age of affected equines ranged from 7 to 10 years (n = 51; 56.0%), and females (n = 58; 63.7%) were more affected than males. The incidence of neuropathogenic (D 752) and non-neuropathogenic (N 752) variants of EHV-1 from EHM-affected equines in Ethiopia was assessed by sequencing the DNA polymerase gene (ORF30) of the EHV-1 isolates. The results indicated that from the total of 91 clinically affected equines, 90 (98.9%) of them had an ORF30 D 752 genotype. An ORF30 N 752 variant was only found in one donkey. Analysis of ORF68 as grouping marker for geographical differences showed that the Ethiopian EHV-1 isolates belong to geographical group 4. Due to the fatal nature of EHV-1 in donkeys, it would be interesting to examine the pathogenesis of EHM in this species. At present, there is no vaccine available in Ethiopia, and therefore, outbreaks of EHV-1 should be controlled by proper management adaptations. In addition, it is important to test the efficacy of the commercial vaccines not only in horses, but also in donkeys and mules.
Infections with equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are widespread in equine populations worldwide. Where... more Infections with equine herpesviruses (EHVs) are widespread in equine populations worldwide. Whereas both EHV-1 and EHV-4 produce well-documented respiratory syndromes in equids, the contribution of EHV-2 and EHV-5 to disease of the respiratory tract is still enigmatic. This study describes the detection and genetic characterization of EHVs from equids with and without clinical respiratory disease. Virus-specific PCRs were used to detect EHV-1, -2, -4 and -5. From the total of 160 equids with respiratory disease, EHV-5 was detected at the highest prevalence (23.1%), followed by EHV-2 (20.0%), EHV-4 (8.1%) and EHV-1 (7.5%). Concurrent infections with EHV-2 and EHV-5 were recorded from nine (5.2%) diseased horses. Of the total of 111 clinically healthy equids, EHV-1 and EHV-4 were never detected whereas EHV-2 and EHV-5 were found in 8 (7.2%) and 18 (16.2%) horses, respectively. A significantly higher proportion of EHV-2-infected equids was observed in the respiratory disease group (32/160, 20.0%; P = 0.005) compared to those without disease (8/111; 7.2%). EHV-2-positive equids were three times more likely to display clinical signs of respiratory disease than EHV-2-negative equids (OR 3.22, 95% CI: 1.42-7.28). For EHV-5, the observed difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.166). The phylogenetic analysis of the gB gene revealed that the Ethiopian EHV-2 and EHV-5 strains had a remarkable genetic diversity, with a nucleotide sequence identity among each other that ranged from 94.0 to 99.4% and 95.1 to 100%, respectively. Moreover, the nucleotide sequence identity of EHV-2 and EHV-5 with isolates from other countries acquired from GenBank ranged from 92.9 to 99.1% and 95.1 to 99.5%, respectively. Our results suggest that besides EHV-1 and EHV-4, EHV-2 is likely to be an important contributor either to induce or predispose equids to respiratory disease. However, more work is needed to better understand the contribution of EHV-2 in the establishment of respiratory disease.
Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming seri-ous problem in ... more Infestation of cattle by leeches and occasional attack of humans is becoming seri-ous problem in some parts of the country. The objective of this study is to investi-gate the prevalence of leech in selected streams in Sodo district, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region and to evaluate the efficacy of endod on leech in field condition and its impact on other non-target aquatic fauna following the request of the district craving for intervention. Estimation of prevalence of leech was assessed before application; 24 hrs, 10 days and 30 days post application of endod based on the number of leeches collected per person per 5 minutes. Find-ings from interview of the local communities revealed that 95 % of the respondents rated leech as the major animal health problem in the district and 65 % of them have seen human infested by leech at least once in their life. The mean leech count per person per 5 minutes before application of endod ranged from 16.8-38 in dif-ferent streams...
African swine fever (ASF) is an important emerging transboundary animal disease (TAD), which curr... more African swine fever (ASF) is an important emerging transboundary animal disease (TAD), which currently has an impact on many countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and the Russian Federation. The current situation in Europe shows the ability of the virus to rapidly spread, which stands to threaten the global swine industry. At present, there is no viable vaccine to minimize spread of the disease and stamping out is the main source of control. In February 2011, Ethiopia had reported its first suspected outbreaks of ASF. Genomic analyses of the collected ASF virus (ASFV) strains were undertaken using 23 tissue samples collected from domestic swine in Ethiopia from 2011 to 2014. The analysis of Ethiopian ASFVs partial p72 gene sequence showed the identification of a new genotype, genotype XXIII, that shares a common ancestor with genotypes IX and X, which comprise isolates circulating in Eastern African countries and the Republic of Congo. Analysis of the p54 gene also followed the p72 pattern and the deduced amino acid sequence of the central variable region (CVR) of the B602L gene showed novel tetramer repeats not previously characterized.
SUMMARYPrior to the recent outbreak of equine encephalosis in Israel in 2009, equine encephalosis... more SUMMARYPrior to the recent outbreak of equine encephalosis in Israel in 2009, equine encephalosis virus (EEV) had only been isolated from equids in South Africa. In this study we show the first evidence for the circulation of EEV beyond South Africa in Ethiopia, Ghana and The Gambia, indicating that EEV is likely to be freely circulating and endemic in East and West Africa. Sequence analysis revealed that the EEV isolate circulating in The Gambia was closely related to an EEV isolate that was isolated from a horse from Israel during the EEV outbreak in 2009, indicating that the two viruses have a common ancestry. Interestingly horses in Morocco tested negative for EEV antibodies indicating that the Sahara desert may be acting as a geographical barrier to the spread to the virus to North African countries. This evidence for EEV circulation in countries in East and West Africa sheds light on how the virus may have reached Israel to cause the recent outbreak in 2009.
Antigen detection ELISA procedures. Antigen detection ELISA procedures and result interpretation ... more Antigen detection ELISA procedures. Antigen detection ELISA procedures and result interpretation during the study were discussed in detail. (DOCX 13Â kb)
Serological diagnostic tests procedures. Procedures and principles of the test during the study w... more Serological diagnostic tests procedures. Procedures and principles of the test during the study were discussed in detail. (DOCX 12Â kb)
Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate d... more Effective control and monitoring of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) relies upon rapid and accurate disease confirmation. Currently, clinical samples are usually tested in reference laboratories using standardized assays recommended by The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). However, the requirements for prompt and serotype-specific diagnosis during FMD outbreaks, and the need to establish robust laboratory testing capacity in FMD-endemic countries have motivated the development of simple diagnostic platforms to support local decision-making. Using a portable thermocycler, the T-COR TM 8, this study describes the laboratory and field evaluation of a commercially available, lyophilized pan-serotype-specific real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) assay and a newly available FMD virus (FMDV) typing assay (East Africa-specific for serotypes: O, A, Southern African Territories [SAT] 1 and 2). Analytical sensitivity, diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the pan-serotype-specific lyophilized assay were comparable to that of an OIE-recommended laboratorybased rRT-PCR (determined using a panel of 57 FMDV-positive samples and six non-FMDV vesicular disease samples for differential diagnosis). The FMDV-typing assay was able to correctly identify the serotype of 33/36 FMDV-positive samples (no cross-reactivity between serotypes was evident). Furthermore, the assays were able to accurately detect and type FMDV RNA in multiple sample types, including epithelial tissue suspensions, serum, oesophageal-pharyngeal (OP) fluid and oral swabs, both with and without the use of nucleic acid extraction. When deployed in laboratory and field settings in Tanzania, Kenya and Ethiopia, both assays reliably detected and serotyped FMDV RNA in samples (n = 144) collected from pre-clinical, clinical and clinically recovered cattle. These data support the use of field-ready rRT-PCR platforms in endemic settings for simple, highly sensitive and rapid detection and/or characterization of FMDV.
Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manif... more Although equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a sporadic and relatively uncommon manifestation of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), it has the potential for causing devastating outbreaks in horses. Up till now, there were no reported EHM outbreaks in donkeys and mules. This study describes the isolation and molecular characterization of EHV-1 from clinically EHM-affected horses (n = 6), mules (n = 3) and donkeys (n = 82) in Ethiopia during outbreaks from May 2011 to December 2013. The incidence of EHM cases was higher from April to mid-June. EHM in donkeys was more severe and death without clinical signs of paralysis, and recumbency was frequently observed. The main age of affected equines ranged from 7 to 10 years (n = 51; 56.0%), and females (n = 58; 63.7%) were more affected than males. The incidence of neuropathogenic (D 752) and non-neuropathogenic (N 752) variants of EHV-1 from EHM-affected equines in Ethiopia was assessed by sequencing the DNA polymerase gene (ORF30) of the EHV-1 isolates. The results indicated that from the total of 91 clinically affected equines, 90 (98.9%) of them had an ORF30 D 752 genotype. An ORF30 N 752 variant was only found in one donkey. Analysis of ORF68 as grouping marker for geographical differences showed that the Ethiopian EHV-1 isolates belong to geographical group 4. Due to the fatal nature of EHV-1 in donkeys, it would be interesting to examine the pathogenesis of EHM in this species. At present, there is no vaccine available in Ethiopia, and therefore, outbreaks of EHV-1 should be controlled by proper management adaptations. In addition, it is important to test the efficacy of the commercial vaccines not only in horses, but also in donkeys and mules.
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. ... more Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. A field based outbreak study was conducted in September 2016/ 2017 to identify and genetically characterize O serotype from clinical and asymptomatic cases at Welmera district Menagesha kolobo kelebe of central Oromia. The investigation was purposively conducted in the respective farms where outbreak occurred. Accordingly, 50 dairy cattle were clinically examined and about 20 (40%) animals showed sign and clinical lesions of the disease. Accordingly, active epithelial tissues and probang samples were taken from acutely and severely infected animals for virus isolation, typing and genetic detection. These clinical samples were processed for antigen typing and O serotype was isolated from clinical and asymptomatic cases in the farm. The genetic material of this strain was tested by rRT-PCR and the viral genome was detected in the epithelial tissues and probang samples. In conclusion, the study showed that O serotype was circulating in the district. Therefore, foot and mouth disease control should be established based on the availability of potent and matched vaccines against the circulating field strains.
A cross-sectional serological, active outbreak search and a questionnaire-based survey were carri... more A cross-sectional serological, active outbreak search and a questionnaire-based survey were carried out to investigate foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) sero-epidemiology in Ethiopia. The circulating serotype of the FMD virus (FMDV) was identified, and the knowledge regarding FMD and husbandry practices was assessed. Using the questionnaire survey, a total of 237 individuals were interviewed, and the majority responded that there is no practice of reporting disease outbreak, free in and out movement of livestock, or share pastures, and they use traditional case management as a means of controlling the disease. A total of 1938 cattle, 490 domestic small ruminants, and 426 swine were sampled randomly for serological analysis using the 3ABC non-structural protein (NSP) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. An overall prevalence of 25% in cattle, 5% in domestic small ruminants, and 2% in swine was recorded. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that cattle from the Oromia, Tigray,...
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an epitheliotropic and trans-boundary viral disease affecting cat... more Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an epitheliotropic and trans-boundary viral disease affecting cattle, sheep, goats and wild animals around the globe including Ethiopia. Outbreak based and crosssectional study design was conducted from September 2016 to April 2017 with the objectives of, serotyping, molecular characterization of isolates and to determine risk factors for the occurrence of the disease in selected outbreak areas of Oromia region. Purposive sampling was done in the respective districts and kebeles where the outbreaks occurred. A total of 586 accessible cattle were examined in six districts and 226 (38.6%) showed clinical signs of the disease. out of this, 352 animals were examined at Adea berga dairy farm. Hence, outbreaks were investigated by collecting 113 samples from sick animals. Moreover, 312 bovine sera were collected from welmera district during the outbreak. The risk factor outbreak analysis showed that the overall morbidity and mortality at Adea berga dairy fa...
DOI: 10.15580/GJAS.2019.3.072319141 Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral diseas... more DOI: 10.15580/GJAS.2019.3.072319141 Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a trans-boundary viral disease that causes huge economic losses. A field based outbreak study was conducted in September 2016/ 2017 to identify and genetically characterize O serotype from clinical and asymptomatic cases at Welmera district Menagesha kolobo kelebe of central Oromia. The investigation was purposively conducted in the respective farms where outbreak occurred. Accordingly, 50 dairy cattle were clinically examined and about 20 (40%) animals showed sign and clinical lesions of the disease. Accordingly, active epithelial tissues and probang samples were taken from acutely and severely infected animals for virus isolation, typing and genetic detection. These clinical samples were processed for antigen typing and O serotype was isolated from clinical and asymptomatic cases in the farm. The genetic material of this strain was tested by rRTPCR and the viral genome was detected in the epithelial tissues and pr...
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