<p>Bluetongue is an established disease in India. Sapre (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib010">1964</xref>) recorded first incidence of bluetongue in India from the state of Maharashtra. The seroprevalence of bluetongue in sheep has been studied in the past. Bluetongue in large ruminants has been reported to occur in the form of inapparent infection (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib012">Taylor and McCausland, 1976</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib008">Metcalf <italic>et al.</italic>, 1981</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib003">Haynes <italic>et al.</italic>, 1982</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib013">Tongaonkar <italic>et al.</italic>, 1986</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib009">Oberoi <italic>et al.</italic>, 1988</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib011">Stanley, 1990</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib007">Mehrotra, 1991</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib006">Kale, 2002</xref>). The present study was aimed at studying seroprevalence of bluetongue in large ruminants in Maharashtra.</p><p>Serum samples of cattle and buffaloes in Maharashtra were collected and used for seroprevalence study. Bluetongue soluble antigen was supplied by Veterinary Diagnostics Incorporation, USA, for agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. Bluetongue group-specific antiserum raised in bovines was supplied by Veterinary Diagnostics Incorporation, USA, for AGID test. The AGID test for seroprevalence of bluetongue was standardised on the lines of Jochim and Chow (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib005">1969</xref>). The test was performed in Petridishes containing 0.9% agarose gel in physiological saline. Wells of 5 mm diameter were cut to give a six-well rosette around a central well with a distance of 7 mm between the central well and the peripheral wells. The central well was filled with bluetongue soluble antigen while five peripheral wells were filled with test serum samples and the 6th well with reference positive serum as positive control. The Petridishes were kept in the humidified chamber at room temperature (20–22°C) and examined daily in oblique light source against dark background for appearance of precipitation lines. They were washed with phosphate buffer saline to give clear lines of precipitation.</p><p>A total of 58 serum samples collected from cattle and buffaloes in the Maharashtra were examined by AGID for seroprevalence of bluetongue. Earlier many workers successfully used AGID test for seroprevalence (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib001">Ghalib <italic>et al.</italic>, 1985</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib002">Gujar and Deshmukh, 1995</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib004">Hinsu <italic>et al.</italic>, 2000</xref>). In the present investigation, all the 16 serum samples from Red Kandhari Cattle Farm, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, MAFSU, Parbhani were found negative for bluetongue antibodies, where as, 40% samples from Private Farm, Parbhani city showed presence of bluetongue antibodies although the sample size was too small to draw any conclusion (Tables <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab001">1</xref>, <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab002">2</xref>). However, the absence of bluetongue antibodies in organized farm of the institute indicated that the bluetongue virus was not circulating in the large ruminants in the Parbhani area. In case of buffaloes, only 3 out a total of 32 serum samples tested positive in AGID indicating a low exposure of buffaloes to the bluetongue virus (<xref ref-type="table" rid="tab001">Table 1</xref>, <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab002">2</xref>). <table-wrap id="tab001"><label>Table 1</label><caption><p>Agar gel immunodiffusion test for screening of bluetongue antibodies</p></caption><table><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="bottom">Sr No</th><th valign="bottom">Source</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Species</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of serum samples tested</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of Positive serum samples</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Percentage of positive serum samples</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><hr /></td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">1</td><td valign="top">Red Kandhari Cattle Farm, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parbhani.</td><td valign="top">Cattle</td><td align="center" valign="top">16</td><td align="center" valign="top">Negative</td><td align="center" valign="top">0.00</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">2</td><td valign="top">Private Farm, Parbhani.</td><td valign="top">Cattle</td><td align="center" valign="top">10</td><td align="center" valign="top">4</td><td align="center" valign="top">40.00</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">3</td><td valign="top">Maharashtra Agricultural and Food Corporation, Slaughter House, Nanded</td><td valign="top">Buffalo</td><td align="center" valign="top">32</td><td align="center" valign="top">3</td><td align="center" valign="top">9.38</td></tr><tr><td /><td /><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>Total</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>58</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>7</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>12.07</bold></td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><table-wrap id="tab002"><label>Table 2</label><caption><p>Species-wise seroprevalence of bluetongue</p></caption><table><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="bottom">Sr. No.</th><th valign="bottom">Species</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of serum samples tested</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of positive serum samples</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Percentage of positive serum samples</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><hr /></td></tr><tr><td align="center">1</td><td>Cattle</td><td align="center">26</td><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">15.38</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td>Buffalo</td><td align="center">32</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">9.38</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap></p></sec></body><back><ack id="ack001"><title>Acknowledgements

IJCMIID

Indian Journal of Comparative Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

0790-9320

Indian Association of Veterinary Microbiologists, Immunologists and Specialists in Infectious Diseases

ijcmiid-25-1-011

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Seroprevalence of Bluetongue in large ruminants

Audarya

S.D.

Deshmukh

V.V.

Gujar

M.B.

Bhonsle

A.V.

Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, MAFSU, Parbhani (M.H.)

1–62004

2514748

<p>Bluetongue is an established disease in India. Sapre (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib010">1964</xref>) recorded first incidence of bluetongue in India from the state of Maharashtra. The seroprevalence of bluetongue in sheep has been studied in the past. Bluetongue in large ruminants has been reported to occur in the form of inapparent infection (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib012">Taylor and McCausland, 1976</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib008">Metcalf <italic>et al.</italic>, 1981</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib003">Haynes <italic>et al.</italic>, 1982</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib013">Tongaonkar <italic>et al.</italic>, 1986</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib009">Oberoi <italic>et al.</italic>, 1988</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib011">Stanley, 1990</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib007">Mehrotra, 1991</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib006">Kale, 2002</xref>). The present study was aimed at studying seroprevalence of bluetongue in large ruminants in Maharashtra.</p><p>Serum samples of cattle and buffaloes in Maharashtra were collected and used for seroprevalence study. Bluetongue soluble antigen was supplied by Veterinary Diagnostics Incorporation, USA, for agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test. Bluetongue group-specific antiserum raised in bovines was supplied by Veterinary Diagnostics Incorporation, USA, for AGID test. The AGID test for seroprevalence of bluetongue was standardised on the lines of Jochim and Chow (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib005">1969</xref>). The test was performed in Petridishes containing 0.9% agarose gel in physiological saline. Wells of 5 mm diameter were cut to give a six-well rosette around a central well with a distance of 7 mm between the central well and the peripheral wells. The central well was filled with bluetongue soluble antigen while five peripheral wells were filled with test serum samples and the 6th well with reference positive serum as positive control. The Petridishes were kept in the humidified chamber at room temperature (20–22°C) and examined daily in oblique light source against dark background for appearance of precipitation lines. They were washed with phosphate buffer saline to give clear lines of precipitation.</p><p>A total of 58 serum samples collected from cattle and buffaloes in the Maharashtra were examined by AGID for seroprevalence of bluetongue. Earlier many workers successfully used AGID test for seroprevalence (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib001">Ghalib <italic>et al.</italic>, 1985</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib002">Gujar and Deshmukh, 1995</xref>; <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib004">Hinsu <italic>et al.</italic>, 2000</xref>). In the present investigation, all the 16 serum samples from Red Kandhari Cattle Farm, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, MAFSU, Parbhani were found negative for bluetongue antibodies, where as, 40% samples from Private Farm, Parbhani city showed presence of bluetongue antibodies although the sample size was too small to draw any conclusion (Tables <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab001">1</xref>, <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab002">2</xref>). However, the absence of bluetongue antibodies in organized farm of the institute indicated that the bluetongue virus was not circulating in the large ruminants in the Parbhani area. In case of buffaloes, only 3 out a total of 32 serum samples tested positive in AGID indicating a low exposure of buffaloes to the bluetongue virus (<xref ref-type="table" rid="tab001">Table 1</xref>, <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab002">2</xref>). <table-wrap id="tab001"><label>Table 1</label><caption><p>Agar gel immunodiffusion test for screening of bluetongue antibodies</p></caption><table><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="bottom">Sr No</th><th valign="bottom">Source</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Species</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of serum samples tested</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of Positive serum samples</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Percentage of positive serum samples</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><hr /></td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">1</td><td valign="top">Red Kandhari Cattle Farm, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Parbhani.</td><td valign="top">Cattle</td><td align="center" valign="top">16</td><td align="center" valign="top">Negative</td><td align="center" valign="top">0.00</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">2</td><td valign="top">Private Farm, Parbhani.</td><td valign="top">Cattle</td><td align="center" valign="top">10</td><td align="center" valign="top">4</td><td align="center" valign="top">40.00</td></tr><tr><td align="center" valign="top">3</td><td valign="top">Maharashtra Agricultural and Food Corporation, Slaughter House, Nanded</td><td valign="top">Buffalo</td><td align="center" valign="top">32</td><td align="center" valign="top">3</td><td align="center" valign="top">9.38</td></tr><tr><td /><td /><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>Total</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>58</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>7</bold></td><td align="center" valign="top"><bold>12.07</bold></td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap><table-wrap id="tab002"><label>Table 2</label><caption><p>Species-wise seroprevalence of bluetongue</p></caption><table><thead><tr><th align="center" valign="bottom">Sr. No.</th><th valign="bottom">Species</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of serum samples tested</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">No. of positive serum samples</th><th align="center" valign="bottom">Percentage of positive serum samples</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td colspan="6"><hr /></td></tr><tr><td align="center">1</td><td>Cattle</td><td align="center">26</td><td align="center">4</td><td align="center">15.38</td></tr><tr><td align="center">2</td><td>Buffalo</td><td align="center">32</td><td align="center">3</td><td align="center">9.38</td></tr></tbody></table></table-wrap></p></sec></body><back><ack id="ack001"><title>Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to Dr. V.V. Lad, V.O., MAFCO, Nanded and Dr. Nagesh Kodamelwar for their help in collection of serum samples.

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