Serological investigations of peste des petits ruminants among cattle in the Sudan

During 2015 and 2016, from five different States of the Sudan, a total of 1000 cattle sera were purposively collected from many herds of apparently healthy cattle regardless of their age, sex, and breed. Assessment of the sero-prevalence of PPRV antibodies using competitive ELISA (C-ELISA) yielded a higher overall sero-prevalence of 42.0% (420/1000) among cattle populations in the Sudan which is higher than previously reported. Within Sudanese States under study, the highest sero-prevalence of 53.5% (107/200 sera) was demonstrated in Khartoum State while the least sero-prevalence of 31.5% (63/200 sera) was demonstrated in White Nile State. The higher PPRV sero-prevalence values detected in cattle suggested the potential exposure of cattle to PPRV via contact with infected small ruminants and thus might be an indicator of infection of small ruminants. There is a need to include serological surveillance of PPR in cattle within the sero-monitoring program of PPR to give a better indication of the national herd immunity and to assess in the ongoing eradication program.