Sero-prevalence of Foot-and-mouth Disease in Small Ruminants of Pakistan

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a contagious viral disease of cloven-footed animals. It is endemic in Pakistan with huge economic losses. The aim of the study was to estimate the sero-prevalence of FMD in small ruminants (sheep and goats) kept in proximity to large ruminants with a recent history of FMD outbreak. The study was conducted in seven purposively selected districts of Pakistan. A total of 1478 sera were collected from small ruminants during 2010-2012. Serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against non-structural protein (3ABC) of FMD virus using CHEKIT FMD-3ABC bo-ov kit (IDEXX laboratories, USA). The data were analyzed using χ2 test and multiple logistic regression methods. The sero-prevalence of FMD in small ruminants was 22.8% (337/1478). The FMD sero-prevalence in goats (282/1094; 25.8%) was significantly higher (χ2=21.18; p<0.001) than that in sheep (55/384; 14.3%). After adjusting for other factors, the risk of FMD in sheep was 0.56 times of that in goats (CI; 0.4-0.78, p=0.001). The seropositivity in male animals was higher 17.8% (76/428) than female animals 24.9% (261/1050). Female animals were more likely to be positive for FMD infection compared to male animals (χ2=8.71; p<0.003). The sero-prevalence in district Islamabad (11.8%) was significantly lower than other districts (p<0.001). The findings indicate that FMD is endemic in small ruminants kept in close contact with large ruminants and these animals may serve as reservoirs of FMD virus and possible sources of infection in susceptible livestock.