Seroprevalence Of Bluetongue Virus Infection And Associated Risk Factors In Goats In Kelantan, Malaysia

Abstract of the research paper presented to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan in requirement on the course DVT 55204 - Research Project.
Bluetongue disease is an infectious viral vector-borne disease of ruminants and camelid species, which is mainly transmitted via biting midges of Culicoides genus. Sheep are the major hosts of Bluetongue virus, while other affected ruminant hosts such as goats manifest as subclinical, regarded as amplifying reservoir hosts in endemic areas. The latest retrospective study in Peninsular Malaysia was conducted in the year 2019 without risk factors analysis. This study aims to investigate the current seroprevalence of the Bluetongue disease among the domesticated goats in selected farms in Kelantan, Malaysia and its associated risk factors. A total of 40 serum samples from goats were collected from two ruminant farms in Kota Bharu and Bachok area, and the samples were tested using competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA) to detect Bluetongue antibodies. The results showed that 33 goat serum samples (82.50%) were positive for Bluetongue virus, and revealed the significant risk factors are associated with vector control, animal source and farm management. In conclusion, this study presented a high seroprevalence of Bluetongue disease among the goat farms in Kelantan, suggesting this disease is still circulating within ruminant farms in Kelantan and could possibly cause a huge economic impact due to trade restrictions.
Keywords: Bluetongue, Culicoides, seroprevalence, goat, c-ELISA, Kelantan