Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus Infection at the Wildlife–Livestock Interface in the Greater Serengeti Ecosystem, 2015–2019
Bryony A. Jones,
Mana Mahapatra,
Daniel Mdetele,
Julius Keyyu,
Francis Gakuya,
Ernest Eblate,
Isaac Lekolool,
Campaign Limo,
Josephine N. Ndiwa,
Peter Hongo,
Justin S. Wanda,
Ligge Shilinde,
Maulid Mdaki,
Camilla Benfield,
Krupali Parekh,
Martin Mayora Neto,
David Ndeereh,
Gerald Misinzo,
Mariam R. Makange,
Alexandre Caron,
Arnaud Bataille,
Geneviève Libeau,
Samia Guendouz,
Emanuel S. Swai,
Obed Nyasebwa,
Stephen L. Koyie,
Harry Oyas,
Satya Parida,
Richard Kock
Affiliations
Bryony A. Jones
Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
Mana Mahapatra
The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
Daniel Mdetele
SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3297 Morogoro, Tanzania
Julius Keyyu
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661 Arusha, Tanzania
Francis Gakuya
Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Ernest Eblate
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661 Arusha, Tanzania
Isaac Lekolool
Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Campaign Limo
Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Josephine N. Ndiwa
Private Consultant, P.O. Box 42385-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Peter Hongo
Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Justin S. Wanda
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661 Arusha, Tanzania
Ligge Shilinde
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661 Arusha, Tanzania
Maulid Mdaki
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, P.O. Box 661 Arusha, Tanzania
Camilla Benfield
Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
Krupali Parekh
The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
Martin Mayora Neto
The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
David Ndeereh
Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Gerald Misinzo
SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3297 Morogoro, Tanzania
Mariam R. Makange
SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P.O. Box 3297 Morogoro, Tanzania
Alexandre Caron
Animals, Health, Territories, Risks and Ecosystem (ASTRE), University of Montpellier (UMR), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), F-34398 Montpellier, France
Arnaud Bataille
Animals, Health, Territories, Risks and Ecosystem (ASTRE), University of Montpellier (UMR), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), F-34398 Montpellier, France
Geneviève Libeau
Animals, Health, Territories, Risks and Ecosystem (ASTRE), University of Montpellier (UMR), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), F-34398 Montpellier, France
Samia Guendouz
Animals, Health, Territories, Risks and Ecosystem (ASTRE), University of Montpellier (UMR), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), F-34398 Montpellier, France
Emanuel S. Swai
Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Mji wa Serikali Mtumba, Mtaa wa Ulinzi, P.O. Box 2870 Dodoma, Tanzania
Obed Nyasebwa
Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Mji wa Serikali Mtumba, Mtaa wa Ulinzi, P.O. Box 2870 Dodoma, Tanzania
Stephen L. Koyie
Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Narok County Government, P.O. Box 898-20500 Narok, Kenya
Harry Oyas
Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, P.O. Box 30028-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Satya Parida
The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Surrey GU24 0NF, UK
Richard Kock
Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep that occurs in Africa, the Middle East and Asia with a severe impact on livelihoods and livestock trade. Many wild artiodactyls are susceptible to PPR virus (PPRV) infection, and some outbreaks have threatened endangered wild populations. The role of wild species in PPRV epidemiology is unclear, which is a knowledge gap for the Global Strategy for the Control and Eradication of PPR. These studies aimed to investigate PPRV infection in wild artiodactyls in the Greater Serengeti and Amboseli ecosystems of Kenya and Tanzania. Out of 132 animals purposively sampled in 2015–2016, 19.7% were PPRV seropositive by ID Screen PPR competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA; IDvet, France) from the following species: African buffalo, wildebeest, topi, kongoni, Grant’s gazelle, impala, Thomson’s gazelle, warthog and gerenuk, while waterbuck and lesser kudu were seronegative. In 2018–2019, a cross-sectional survey of randomly selected African buffalo and Grant’s gazelle herds was conducted. The weighted estimate of PPRV seroprevalence was 12.0% out of 191 African buffalo and 1.1% out of 139 Grant’s gazelles. All ocular and nasal swabs and faeces were negative by PPRV real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Investigations of a PPR-like disease in sheep and goats confirmed PPRV circulation in the area by rapid detection test and/or RT-qPCR. These results demonstrated serological evidence of PPRV infection in wild artiodactyl species at the wildlife–livestock interface in this ecosystem where PPRV is endemic in domestic small ruminants. Exposure to PPRV could be via spillover from infected small ruminants or from transmission between wild animals, while the relatively low seroprevalence suggests that sustained transmission is unlikely. Further studies of other major wild artiodactyls in this ecosystem are required, such as impala, Thomson’s gazelle and wildebeest.
