Seroprevalence of bluetongue virus in a flock of Gurez sheep of Jammu and Kashmir Shanaz S., Farooq S., Ashraf Aiman, Nabi Nusrat, Bhat M Altaf, Hamadani Ambreen*, Majid Ruksana, Ganai Nazir A. Faculty of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shuhama-190 006, UT Jammu and Kashmir, India *e-mail: escritor005@gmaill.com
Online published on 2 April, 2024. Abstract Bluetongue (BT) is a vector-borne infectious disease that affects a wide range of ruminants including sheep. Worldwide Bluetongue causes direct as well as indirect economic impacts. Therefore, it is important to screen animals from time to time for the disease in any area to curtail its spread. In this regard, a study was performed to study the seroprevalence of BT in Gurez sheep. A total of 34 ewes and 4 rams of Gurez sheep between the age group of 1-2 years were purchased from the Gurez Valley of Kashmir and a unit was established at Mountain Research Centre for Sheep and Goat (MRCSG), FVSc & AH, SKUAST-Kashmir, Shuhama in the year 2020-21 under a conservation program. All animals were clinically healthy and were screened for Blue Tongue disease as a routine procedure under the quarantine process. The animals were tested using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA). Three animals were found to be positive showing a seropositive rate of 7.89%. The present study thus emphasizes the need for continuing serological surveillance programs for the preparation of contingency plans for responding to an outbreak of blue tongue disease in the future. Top Keywords Bluetongue disease, C-ELISA, Gurez sheep, Kashmir valley, Seroprevalence. Top |