U. Wernery
Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 597, Dubai, UAE
ABSTRACT
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a contagious virus disease of domestic and wild small ruminants. PPR has steadily expanded over the last 2 to 3 decades and occurs regularly in large regions of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Transmission is mainly oronasally and the disease is clinically characterised by fever, gastroenteritis, bronchopneumonia and erosive lesions of mucous membranes. There are 4 known phylogenetic lineages of the PPRV. A great variation in the pathogenicity of the virus exists. OWCs can contract the disease and outbreaks have been described in Ethiopia, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. Experimental infection with an Ethiopian goat strain in a small number of dromedaries in Dubai did not produce any clinical signs. There is a need for further infection trials with different PPR strains to elucidate the role of camels in the epidemiology of PPR.
Key words: Camelids, infection trial, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), rinderpest (RP)
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