Epidemiology of peste des petits ruminants in selected districts of Borena zone, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Peste des petits ruminant (PPR) is a contagious disease caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). The disease poses a significant economic threat to small ruminant production in Ethiopia, particularly to the striving pastoral production system. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of PPR in the small ruminants of the Borena Zone. A total of 384 serum samples were collected randomly from sheep and goats and examined for the presence of PPRV antibodies using competition enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (c-ELISA). Additionally, a retrospective analysis of five years of outbreak data was performed to provide insight into the spatial and temporal distribution of the disease. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of PPRV antibodies in nonvaccinated, vaccinated, and unknown vaccination status of small ruminants in this study was found to be 32.1%, 68.8%, and 45.5%, respectively. Multivariable logistic analysis revealed a statistically significant association between PPRV seropositivity and several factors, including age, animal origin, flock size, and veterinary services status. A retrospective analysis revealed 53 PPR outbreaks in the Borena Zone from 2018 to 2022, exacerbated by low vaccination coverage relative to the at-risk animal population. CONCLUSION: The study revealed significant gaps in current vaccination efforts, with herd immunity levels falling below the FAO-WOAH recommended threshold of 80%. Despite Ethiopia's ambitious goal to eradicate PPR by 2027, the frequent outbreaks and insufficient herd immunity highlight the inadequacy of the existing strategies. To effectively move toward eradication, Ethiopia must align its approach with the global PPR eradication framework, which emphasizes a comprehensive strategy that includes diagnostics, surveillance, prevention, and the establishment of a robust veterinary regulatory system, rather than relying solely on vaccination. Overcoming logistical challenges, improving vaccination coverage, and optimizing the timing of vaccination campaigns, especially in hard-to-reach areas, will be crucial for reducing outbreaks and making progress toward eradication.

The habit, choice, intention, and perception of raw beef consumers on raw beef-eating: the health risk management perspective.

Apart from its nutritive value, meat is one of the substances for the transmission of pathogenic micro-organisms to consumers and the raw beef eating habit of Ethiopians can create a favourable condition for the transmission of pathogens from contaminated meat to raw beef consumers. The face-to-face interview of raw beef consumers was done using a structured questionnaire and 570 total samples were collected. A considerable number (74%) of raw beef consumers had favourable food choice; 85% of the raw beef consumers had favourable intentions to stop their raw beef eating habit, and 67% of them had an unfavourable perception of the safety of raw beef-eating. In conclusion, the study showed that raw beef consumers were not aware of the health risks of raw beef-eating. As a result, urgent sensitization intervention is required to shift the raw beef consumers from unhealthy eating habits to prudent (processed) eating practices.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices to zoonotic disease risks from livestock birth products among smallholder communities in Ethiopia.

Many causes of abortion in livestock are due to zoonotic pathogens that pose serious infection risks for humans. Carefully designed, empirical One Health research allows to untangle the complexity around these risks and guides the development of practical health education guidelines and best prevention practices for veterinary public health interventions. To support this, the study presented here aimed at understanding knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on zoonotic risks from livestock birth products among rural communities in Ethiopia. From July 2018 to February 2019, a cross-sectional study design was conducted with 327 randomly selected farmers and pastoralists in five districts in three regions in Ethiopia. The structured questionnaire consisted of 48 items to evaluate knowledge (24), attitude (9), and prevention practices (15) related to zoonotic diseases risks from livestock birth products. A unidimensional two-parameter logistic (2-PL) Item Response Theory (IRT) model was used for zoonotic disease risk KAP scale construction and evaluation. The 2-PL IRT model was fitted to determine the probability of a person to appropriately respond to an item with a provided zoonotic disease KAP level. We then examined differential item functioning (DIF) concerning to five important covariates. The attitude subscale had the highest total mean score (37.3, ± 28.92%) and the knowledge subscale had the lowest mean score (22.4, ± 33.6%) among the three subscales. The mixed model regression analysis indicated that region was the only apparent factor explaining differences in zoonotic diseases knowledge, attitude, and practice total mean scores. The knowledge and attitude subscales had good internal consistency with a Cronbach's α at 0.83 and 0.81, respectively, whereas the practice subscale had lower internal consistency with 0.51. There was a positive association between responding to knowledge questions correctly and a positive attitude (r2 = 0.44, p < 0.0001) and self-reported good practice (r2 = 0.307, p < 0.0001). The differential item functioning test showed that 19 of 37 (51.35%) and 12 of 37 (32.43%) items of the retained KAPs survey items had non-uniform and uniform DIF linked to at least one covariate respectively and all the covariates were related with DIF in at least one item. This study found substantial knowledge gaps, a low level of the desired attitude, and high-risk behavioural practices regarding zoonotic disease from livestock birth products. Consequently, livestock keepers are likely exposed to pathogens and thus these practices are an important contributing factor for zoonotic disease infection in people.

Causes and Flock Level Risk Factors of Sheep and Goat Abortion in Three Agroecology Zones in Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted to estimate the incidence of small ruminant abortion and identify its major causes and potential risk factors in goat and sheep flocks in three agroecology and production systems of Ethiopia. Information on pregnancy outcomes and management risk factors were collected for 299 goat and 242 sheep flocks. Blood samples were collected from 133 sheep and 90 goat flocks and tested for Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp., Chlamydia abortus, and Toxoplasma gondii. A causal diagram outlined relationships between potential predictor variables and abortion in the flock. The effect of management and exposure to infectious causes on the number of abortions in the flock across agroecology was tested using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Results showed that 142 (58.68%) goats and 53 (17.73%) sheep flocks reported abortions in the 12 months before the survey. The mean annual flock abortion percentages were 16.1% (±26.23) for does and 12.6% (±23.5) for ewes. Farmers perceived infectious diseases, extreme weather conditions, feed shortage, physical traumas, and plant poisoning as the most important causes of abortion. A higher proportion of abortion was recorded during the short rainy season (March to May) and start of the short dry and cold season (June to August) in the lowland mixed crop-livestock and pastoral agroecology and production system, respectively. Overall, 65.41% sheep and 92.22% goat flocks tested positive for one or more abortion causing agents, namely, C. burnetti, C. abortus, Brucella spp., and T. gondii; mixed infection was found in 31.58% sheep and 63.33% goat flocks. Spending the night in a traditional house and providing supplementary feed for pregnant dams were important management factors which significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased the risk of abortion by 2.63 and 4.55 times, respectively. However, the presence of other livestock species and dogs in the household and exposure of the flock to Brucella spp. or anyone of the four tested infectious agents significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the risk of abortion in sheep and goat flocks. In general, abortion is a challenge for small ruminant production in the study area especially in lowland agroecology and calls for improvement in husbandry practices, health care and biosecurity practices.

Towards objective measurement of reproductive performance of traditionally managed goat flocks in the drylands of Ethiopia.

Reproductive performance is a key determinant for the efficiency of goat production. Regular monitoring of reproductive efficiency is essential to assess management and to avoid financial losses due to poor performance. To allow more objective measurement and comparisons over time, we propose a novel quantitative approach for defining annual reproductive performance by combining common performance indicators into a goat flock index. Commonly used reproductive performance measures were collected from 242 goat flocks in four districts in dryland of Ethiopia between July 2018 and February 2019. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify biologically meaningful latent components that explain annual reproductive output (ARO) and annual reproductive wastage (ARW). Together with the remaining annual reproductive performance measures, the ARO and ARW components were included in a PCA to derive an algorithm for a goat annual reproductive performance index (G-ARPI). One component representing variation in kidding interval, PCARO1 and PCARW1 was extracted and normalized to a 10-scale value. The flocks were classified into good performing (15.63%) with index > 8.5, moderately performing (48.21%) with index values ranging from 6.5 to 8.5 and poor performing (36.16%) with index < 6.5. Good performing flocks have higher scores for reproductive output measures, lower scores for reproductive wastage and lower kidding interval. The proposed G-ARPI can be used as an objective tool to compare reproductive performance between management systems, evaluate the costs of poor reproductive management and will be useful for economic models that aim to identify the most cost-efficient intervention option and monitor the impact of interventions. We present here the index for goat production in dryland systems in Ethiopia; the approach can easily be adapted to other production systems elsewhere.

Importance of livestock diseases identified using participatory epidemiology in the highlands of Ethiopia.

Livestock are a major cornerstone for livelihoods of smallholders in the highlands of Ethiopia. However, infectious diseases are a key constraint in livestock production affecting productivity and food security. This study aimed to understand livestock producers' perception on importance and epidemiology of livestock diseases. Participatory tools using focus group discussions were used to identify and rank livestock species, major livestock diseases, and their epidemiological patterns in smallholder systems. The study covered 17 districts in four regions, with two or three kebeles (smallest administrative unit) included in each district. To capture views of women and men, separate focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted. Data collected through proportional piling were used in generalized linear model analysis. Taking sheep as a reference, cattle were significantly the most preferred species with the odds of cattle scoring higher than sheep being 2.08 times (P = 0.000). Sheep and poultry were equally the second most important livestock, followed by goat and equine. There were no statistically significant differences between men and women FGD groups and between the four regions in their preference for livestock species. Twelve out of 28 identified livestock diseases were mentioned by at least 10% of FGDs in their list of five most important diseases. Blackleg, foot, and mouth disease, lumpy skin disease, anthrax, and bovine pasteurellosis were ranked as the top five diseases by both men and women focus groups. Reasons for high scores included suddenness of death, zoonosis risks, animal age groups and species affected, frequency of occurrence, rate of transmission in herds, curability, and inefficient vaccination. Seasonality and agro-ecology were also factors associated with disease occurrence. The study also documents that adult men and women are more involved in activities related to disease transmission compared with other family members. When asked about impacts of diseases, loss of livelihood, displacement, and infection with zoonoses were mentioned, with women considered equally affected as men. In conclusion, participatory tools allowed understanding disease priorities of and their perceived epidemiology in smallholder systems. The perceptions and priorities of men and women are very similar, and both need to be involved in designing health management interventions. Based on the findings of this study, the intervention strategies listed in the 2013 animal health strategy of Ethiopia (MoA and ILRI 2013) seem pertinent and need to be implemented to overcome the challenges of diseases.

Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Peste des petits ruminants virus circulating in small ruminants in eastern Amhara region, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a severe, highly infectious and fatal viral disease of small ruminants. Four lineages of PPR virus have been identified globally based on sequence analysis of the nucleoprotein (N) and fusion (F) gene. The aim of this study was to isolate and genetically characterize recently circulating PPR virus in small ruminants in the eastern Amhara region in Ethiopia. A total of 28 anti-mortem samples (gum debris, nasal and ocular swab) were collected from clinically suspicious animals and examined for the presence of PPRV by a one-step RT-PCR assay. Samples positive with RT-PCR were subjected to isolation of the virus which were subsequently genetically characterized by sequencing of the nucleoprotein (N) gene and phylogenetic analysis of PPR virus (PPRV) strains. RESULTS: Of the 28 clinical samples examined, 46.4% were positive with RT-PCR for viral nucleic acid. The PPRV was successfully isolated on CHS-20 cell line with the ovine signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) receptor expressed on the cell surface and confirmed with RT-PCR and IFAT assay. The nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the PPRV obtained were clustered genetically with Lineage IV isolates of the virus. CONCLUSION: The successful isolation of the virus and molecular findings of this study confirmed active lineage IV PPRV infections among populations of sheep and goats in eastern Amhara, suggesting risks for potential spread of the disease to currently free areas. Thus, we recommend systematic vaccination to contain outbreaks in affected districts and geographically linked surrounding districts to which the disease could potentially spread due to different epidemiological linkages.

Application of Mixed Methods to Identify Small Ruminant Disease Priorities in Ethiopia.

Animal health interventions tend to focus on transboundary or zoonotic animal diseases and little attention is given to diseases that mainly affect livestock production and productivity which are of concern for smallholder farmers. To understand disease priorities of men and women livestock keepers and how these impact households, this study used participatory methods to elucidate priorities, reasons for prioritization, knowledge on small ruminant diseases and their transmission pathways. The study was conducted in 23 sites distributed across 14 districts in four regional states of Ethiopia. Ninety-two focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted with men or women only groups. Various tools, such as semi-structured interviews, simple scoring and proportional piling were used to facilitate the process. A follow-up household survey involving 432 households/interviewees collected in-depth data on key small ruminant diseases. Each focus group identified and scored their top five diseases. During analysis, the diseases were grouped in to seven major categories based on local names and clinical signs reported. Highest scores in proportional piling (out of 100 counters) were obtained for respiratory diseases and gastrointestinal parasites in highland areas (mixed crop-livestock systems) with strong agreement among respondent groups using Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W) (W = 0.395, p < 0.01); whereas in lowland areas (pastoral and agro-pastoral systems), the priorities were respiratory and neurological diseases, also with very strong agreement (W = 0.995, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference between men and women in prioritizing disease constraints. The reasons for prioritization were also used to define categories of impact of disease. The household survey confirmed disease priorities and highlighted the role of mortality for respiratory diseases. Despite differences in household roles, both men and women unvaryingly described the clinical signs in live animals the same way and reported similar observations of disease in carcasses of slaughtered animals. Overall, both men and women farmers had low awareness of zoonotic diseases. In conclusion, the priorities of national disease control programs do not fully match priorities of farmers. Such participatory tools should therefore, play a pivotal role when designing sustainable livestock health interventions.

Major Gross Lesions of Lung in Cattle Slaughtered at Hawassa Municipal Abattoir, Southern Ethiopia.

A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2016 to April 2017, to estimate the prevalence of major gross lung lesions in cattle slaughtered at Hawassa Municipal Abattoir, southern Ethiopia. A total of 563 male cattle were examined by antemortem examination, while postmortem lung lesions were done using standard inspection procedures. Association between prevalence and the explanatory variables was estimated by way of chi-square/Fischer's exact tests using statistical packages for social science (SPSS) software. Upon postmortem examination, 96.6% (544/563) of cattle examined had various gross lung lesions. The most important lesions identified were hydatidosis, emphysema, congestion, and atelectasis with prevalence of 45.3%, 19.2%, 18.1%, and 6.4%, respectively. Based on origins of slaughtered animals, hydatid cyst, emphysema, and congestion were common in cattle that came from Tula area with prevalence of 46.3%, 20.4%, and 20%, respectively. The animals from Arsi-negelle and Hawassa were mostly affected by hydatid cyst with prevalence of 44.4% and 42.5%, respectively. Statistically significant association (p = .038) was observed between prevalence of atelectasis and body condition of slaughtered cattle. In conclusion, the prevalence of hydatidosis was the major lesion in the lung of slaughtered cattle at Hawassa Municipal Abattoir. Therefore, appropriate disease control strategies should be put in place.

Relative resistance of Menz and Washera sheep breeds to artificial infection with Haemonchus contortus in the highlands of Ethiopia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relative resistance of Menz and Washera sheep breeds to artificial infection with Haemonchus contortus. The challenge trial was conducted at the Debre Berhan Agricultural Research Center in Ethiopia. A total of 39 (Menz = 21, Washera = 18) lambs of about 6 months old were used for the trial. All lambs were initially treated against internal parasite using albendazole and Fasinex to free them from internal parasites and kept indoors. H. contortus third-stage larvae (L3) were prepared according to standard procedure from adult female parasite collected from abattoirs and recovered using the Baerman technique. Approximately 5000 infective larvae were inoculated to the experimental lambs at about 5 weeks after deworming. Fecal egg count (FEC), packed cell volume (PCV), FAffa MAlan CHArt (FAMACHA) score, lamb body weight, and survival of lambs were recorded at 28, 35, and 42 days after challenge. Breed effect was not significant (P > 0.05), whereas time of measurement and the interaction of breed and time had significant (P < 0.05) effects on FEC and PCV. At 28 days after challenge, Menz sheep had lower FEC than Washera sheep, whereas at days 35 and 42, the Washera sheep had lower FEC than Menz lambs. The PCV decreased significantly throughout the post-challenge period. Despite their parasite burden, Menz sheep were able to maintain live weight during the 42 days of challenge. Chi-square tests for breed differences in lamb survival were not significant at any time (28, 35, and 42 days after challenge). Lower FEC at 28 days and delayed rise in FEC after infection in Menz lamb would allow in delaying anthelmintic treatment. In addition to maintain body weights during the infection period, sheep of both breeds exhibited substantial variability in PCV and FEC, suggesting opportunity to consider parasite resistance in selection program.