Detection of Bluetongue Virus Antibodies in Small Ruminants of Coastal Odisha

This study aimed to detect the prevalence of bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies in goats and sheep of coastal Odisha using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Serum samples (n=504) were collected randomly from apparently healthy goats (n=382) and sheep (n=122) of seven districts of coastal Odisha during October 2011 and March 2012. iELISA was conducted for detection of antibodies to recombinant group specific VP7 antigen of BTV in the Tissue Culture Laboratory, Division of Virology, IVRI, Mukteswar. The apparent seroprevalence of 85.51% (431/504) was detected overall, with the prevalence ranging from 68.85% in sheep to 90.84% in goats. Ganjam district recorded the maximum number of infected animals (95.01%) and the least affected district was Jagatsinghpur (42.31%). Among goats, the most affected district was Ganjam (99.60%) and among sheep, Cuttack registered the maximum seroprevalence (88.46%). The seroprevalence differed significantly statistically with respect to the species (Chi Square Test, p<0.05) while the difference in prevalence was not statistically significant with respect to the districts (Chi Square Test, p>0.05). This study detects active subclinical BT infection in the small ruminants of coastal Odisha which if left uncontrolled might lead to widespread economic losses in the form of mortality, morbidity and production losses.