| dc.description.abstract | Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a novel virus within the genus Morbillivirus and in the family Paramyxoviridae that has been reported in Sub-saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Middle Eastern countries and India. It is a notifiable trans-boundary disease of economic importance causing an extremely acute disease in sheep and goats which is manifested by fever, mouth lesions, diarrhoea and pneumonia that leads to death of the sick animal. Although a disease of primarily small ruminants, camels have been demonstrated to develop a clinical syndrome. This research was done to determine the presence of PPR disease in camels herded with sheep and goats in Marsabit, Wajir, Isiolo and Mandera counties of Kenya in the wake of an unknown camel disease syndrome that has been afflicting camel herds in the horn of Africa.
As from mid-February 2016 to the end of March 2016; disease field investigations were carried out in the study counties. Three hundred and ninety-two (392) camels from thirty-six (36) herds of camels were examined along the travel routes, watering points and as per the recommendations by the respective county governments. Ninety-three per cent (93%) of the sampled animals were not sick and were not clinically diagnosed as PPR diseased cases. Four (4) mixed herds of goats and sheep herded alongside the camel herds that we tested were also examined; only 13% of those identified presented with clinical PPR symptoms of fever coupled with nasal-ocular discharges and/or with diarrhea. Thirty-eight (38) samples, 15, 12, 8, and 3 samples, were collected from Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo, and Marsabit, respectively. Three key informant interviews with the county departments were held in Wajir, Mandera and Isiolo with the exception of Marsabit due to logistical problems and in addition; one focused group discussion was held in Mandera with the other counties missing on the same due to unavoidable
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circumstances. PCR test and sequencing of the PPR genome were conducted; one goat in Wajir and one camel in Mandera were confirmed positive for PPR disease.
According to this study findings, camels present with a fatal sub-acute to acute syndrome of PPR disease loosely known as camel sudden death syndrome and often rarely noticed. Of the camel herds and sheep and goats herds examined only 6% and 12.5% presented with clinical PPR respectively. Only one camel in Mandera and one goat in Wajir were was confirmed to be suffering from the disease using laboratory diagnosis, RT-PCR. The analysis of sequences showed closest nucleotide identities of obtained sequences from both camel and goat to the lineage III of PPRV albeit with 60% of nucleotide identity.
In this research, it was established that camels suffering with PPR within the study area manifest clinical signs mainly manifested by anorexia, loss of body condition and general weakness terminally leading diarrhoea, ocular nasal discharges and conjunctivitis precedes death. These clinical signs were similar to those seen in small ruminants with slight variations of manifestations for example kerato- conjuctivitis and edema of the ventral surface of the abdomen. The clinical signs were also similar to those reported by other studies done to document the clinical signs of PPR in camels.
In conclusion, the study detected PPRV in both camel herds and mixed sheep and goat herds. This indicates that camels could be playing a role in the epidemiology of PPR disease in the region as well as that PPR disease virus could be responsible in the epidemics of Camel sudden death syndrome. There is therefore a need for resources to be dedicated in understanding the role camels play in the epidemiology of PPR disease and in understanding the role PPR diseases play in Camels Sudden death syndrome. | en_US |
