Seroprevalence of peste des petits ruminants virus from samples collected in different regions of Tanzania in 2013 and 2015

Sero-surveillance was conducted to determine seroprevalence of peste des petits ruminant’s virus (PPRV) in sheep and goats population of Tanzania using samples collected in 2013 and 2015. A total of 3,838 samples were collected from villages in 14 of the 25 mainland regions. Samples were tested by competitive ELISA for detection of antibodies against PPRV. Overall, 998 of the samples were found to be positive for antibodies against PPR, giving a seroprevalence of 27.1%. In this study, there was no statistical significant difference of getting PPR between sheep and goats (odds ratio of 1.06, 95% CI 0.89-1.25). The overall seroprevalence indicates that PPR is prevalent in small ruminants in the study areas. The study also confirms the presence of antibodies against PPR in sheep and goats in regions of Tanzania that previously had little to no data on the disease, an indication that PPR is spreading within Tanzania with the possibility of spreading to neighboring countries.