The first report on serotyping of bluetongue virus in small ruminants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province,Pakistan

Bluetongue virus (BTV), a member of Orbivirus genus (family Reoviridae), is a non-contagious infection of domestic and wild ruminants. The current study was designed to detect various serotypes of BTV in small ruminants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan, along with their effects on hemato-biochemical parameters. A total of 408 serum samples in four districts (Mansehra, Abbottabad, Swabi, and Kohat) of KPK from small ruminants were screened based on competitive ELISA (cELISA). A total of 204 (50%) samples were found positive for BTV group–specific antibodies. The seropositive samples were processed for the detection of BTV serotypes through real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Out of 204 cELISA-positive samples, 60 (29.41%) were found positive through qPCR. Three serotypes [6, 8, 9] were detected from Mansehra District and two from Kohat [2, 8] and Abbottabad [6, 8], while only one from Swabi [8]. The serotype “8” was found consistently in all the four study districts. A significant (p?<?0.05) increase in the level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was recorded in goats, whereas aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in sheep infected with BTV, compared to healthy animals. The hematological parameters showed significantly (p?<?0.05) raised total leucocyte count (TLC) in both sheep and goats, whereas only hematocrit (HCT) value was increased significantly (p?<?0.05) in infected sheep. This is the first report on serotyping of BTV among small ruminants in Pakistan.

     

Crimean–Congo Haemorrhagic Fever: Case study analysis of a sporadic outbreak from Chakwal,Pakistan

Crimean–Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a deadly viral zoonotic disease, which is endemic in Pakistan. We report a case study analysis of three cases of CCHF which occurred in Chakwal, Pakistan in 2016. The disease was suspected in three patients exhibiting clinical symptoms suggestive of CCHF; two of the three patients died. The presence of CCHF was detected by seroconversion (IgG) from the surviving patient, while the antigen was detected in Hyalomma ticks originating from animals in the vicinity. This report indicates increase threat emergence of CCHF in Pakistan and highlights its zoonotic implications requiring immediate interventions under the “One‐Health” concept.     

Infectivity and transmissibility of H9N2 avian influenza virus in chickens and wild terrestrial birds

Genetic changes in avian influenza viruses influence their infectivity, virulence and transmission. Recently we identified a novel genotype of H9N2 viruses in widespread circulation in poultry in Pakistan that contained polymerases (PB2, PB1 and PA) and non-structural (NS) gene segments identical to highly pathogenic H7N3 viruses. Here, we investigated the potential of these viruses to cause disease and assessed the transmission capability of the virus within and between poultry and wild terrestrial avian species. Groups of broilers, layers, jungle fowl, quail, sparrows or crows were infected with a representative strain (A/chicken/UDL-01/08) of this H9N2 virus and then mixed with naïve birds of the same breed or species, or different species to examine transmission. With the exception of crows, all directly inoculated and contact birds showed clinical signs, varying in severity with quail showing the most pronounced clinical signs. Virus shedding was detected in all infected birds, with quail showing the greatest levels of virus secretion, but only very low levels of virus were found in directly infected crow samples. Efficient virus intra-species transmission was observed within each group with the exception of crows in which no evidence of transmission was seen. Interspecies transmission was examined between chickens and sparrows and vice versa and efficient transmission was seen in either direction. These results highlight the ease of spread of this group of H9N2 viruses between domesticated poultry and sparrows and show that sparrows need to be considered as a high risk species for transmitting H9N2 viruses between premises.     

Diurnal thermoregulatory responses in pregnant Yankasa ewes to the dry season in a tropical Savannah

The study investigated concomitant effect of gestation and high ambient temperature under a tropical environment on rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) responses in Yankasa ewes. Twenty Yankasa ewes, consisting of ten pregnant and ten non-pregnant ewes, were used for the study. Ewes were synchronised and bred, such that each gestation phase coincided with different periods of the dry-seasons, early-gestation (cold/harmattan), mid-gestation (peak hot-dry) and late-gestation (late hot-dry). The RT, RR and HR were recorded thrice, 2 days apart at middle of each gestation period at 06:00, 14:00 and 18:00 h, concurrently with dry- (DBT) and wet-bulb temperatures of the experimental pen. The DBT was positively correlated with RT, RR during the different gestation stages. The RT significantly (P < 0.001) increased with the hour of day, regardless of the physiological status of the ewes, with peak at 14:00 h. Values of RT and RR were higher (P < 0.05) in pregnant than non-pregnant ewes at mid- and late-gestation, respectively. Mean RT was lower (P < 0.001) at 06:00 h in pregnant than non-pregnant ewes at early-gestation (cold-dry). The HR was (P < 0.05) higher in pregnant than non-pregnant ewes during the different gestation phases. In conclusion, ambient temperature and gestation concomitantly modulate diurnal thermoregulatory responses of the ewes to hot-dry season. Adequate measures should be adopted to mitigate adverse impact of prolonged high RR on the dam and the foetus during the peak of ambient temperature prevailing in the tropical Savannah environment.