Serological Detection Of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (Ehdv) And Associated Risk Factors In Goats In Kelantan, Malaysia.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) is a notifiable, infectious but non-contagious hemorrhagic disease caused by a non-enveloped double-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the Reoviridae family (genus: Orbivirus). There are 7 known serotypes (EHDV- 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8). This virus is closely related to the Bluetongue virus, exhibiting similar clinical presentations and sharing the same transmission vectors. Nonetheless, these two viruses are genetically distinct. The common clinical signs that may be manifested by infected animals are facial oedema, hyperemia of the mucous membrane, excessive salivation, bloody diarrhea, ulceration in the oral cavity and others. Globally, the most reported and widely studied animal related to EHDV is the White-tailed deer as it is the most susceptible animal to EHDV while other species such as cattle may also be infected with less severe clinical signs. However, there are limited studies of EHDV in Malaysia, especially in goats. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to serve as a baseline study for the serological detection of EHDV in goats in Malaysia. For this study, competitive ELISA technique is used to detect the antibody against EHDV VP7 protein. This method is WOAH’s current preferred diagnostic method as it does not cause cross -reactivity between EHDV and Bluetongue virus. In this study, blood samples from 2 farms (total: 40 goats) were collected for the detection of the antibodies in which 3 out of 40 goats were EHDV positive. EHDV is one of the economically important diseases in ruminants as it could lead to economic losses and reduced productivity among infected animals. Therefore, this study can be set as a preliminary study of EHDV status in goats especially in Malaysia for future study. In addition to that, early detection allows faster intervention to control this disease.
Keywords: EHDV, WOAH, c-ELISA, VP7 protein