Post-Vaccination Sero-Monitoring of Peste des Petits Ruminants in Sheep and Goats in Karnataka: Progress towards PPR Eradication in India
Vinayagamurthy Balamurugan,
Rakshit Ojha,
Kirubakaran Vinod Kumar,
Anand Asha,
Suhail Ashraf,
Annett Helcita Dsouza,
Archana Pal,
Prajakta Prashant Bokade,
Shakuntala Krishnaiah Harshitha,
Ramchandra Deshpande,
Mahadevappa Swathi,
Kuralayanapalya Puttahonnappa Suresh,
GurrappaNaidu Govindaraj,
Subramanya Prasad Hasnadka,
Shanmugam ChandraSekar,
Divakar Hemadri,
Anirban Guha,
Njeumi Felix,
Satya Parida,
Baldev Raj Gulati
Affiliations
Vinayagamurthy Balamurugan
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Rakshit Ojha
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Kirubakaran Vinod Kumar
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Anand Asha
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Suhail Ashraf
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Annett Helcita Dsouza
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Archana Pal
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Prajakta Prashant Bokade
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Shakuntala Krishnaiah Harshitha
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Ramchandra Deshpande
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Mahadevappa Swathi
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Kuralayanapalya Puttahonnappa Suresh
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
GurrappaNaidu Govindaraj
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Subramanya Prasad Hasnadka
Commissionerate of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, Pashupalana Bhavana, Hebbal, Bengaluru 560024, India
Shanmugam ChandraSekar
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Mukteswar, Nainital 263138, India
Divakar Hemadri
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Anirban Guha
Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi 110001, India
Njeumi Felix
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Satya Parida
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy
Baldev Raj Gulati
Indian Council of Agricultural Research, National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Yelahanka, Bengaluru 560064, India
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) presents economic challenges in enzootic countries impacting small ruminant productivity. The state of Karnataka, India, implemented a mass vaccination campaign in alignment with the PPR-Global Eradication Programme (GEP) and the National Strategic Plan for PPR eradication. This study was conducted from January to March 2023 to assess seroconversion in post-vaccinated goats and sheep at the epidemiological unit (epi-unit) level, aligning with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines in the PPR Global Control and Eradication Strategy (GCES). Before vaccination, 3466 random serum samples were collected from small ruminants of three age groups (6–12 months, 1–2 years, and >2 years) across 116 epi-units, spanning 82 taluks in 28 districts. Post-vaccination sero-monitoring included 1102 serum samples collected from small ruminants of the 6–12-month age group only, across 111 epi-units covering 64 taluks in 23 districts. The PPRV antibody status was determined using an indigenous hemagglutinin (H) protein monoclonal antibody-based competitive ELISA kit. Pre-vaccination, the PPR seropositivity rates were 55%, 62%, and 66% in the age groups of 6–12 months, 1–2 years, and >2 years, respectively, with a 61% PPRV antibody prevalence across all the age groups. Notably, 41% of the epi-units exhibited antibody prevalence rates of ≥70%, indicating a substantial population immunity, possibly attributed to the previous vaccination program in the state since 2011. In contrast, only 17% of the epi-units had below 30% seroprevalence rates, emphasizing the need for intensified vaccination. Statistical analysis of the data revealed significant correlations (p 95% coverage) targeting small ruminant populations aged >4 months is advocated, aiming to achieve the desired herd immunity of >80%. This study offers crucial insights into PPR baseline seroprevalence/immunity status and vaccine efficacy, guiding national strategies towards a PPR-free India and further supporting the global eradication initiative.
