Affiliation(s)
1. Laboratory of Virology, Microbiology and Quality/Eco-Toxicology and Biodiversity, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques of Mohammedia, Hassan II University of Casablanca, BP 146, Mohammedia 20650, Morocco
2. Diagnosis, Research and Development Unit, Biological and Pharmaceutical Production Company, BIOPHARMA, BP 4569, Rabat 10000, Morocco
3. Vesicular and Exotic Diseases Unit, Virology Department, CODA-CERVA, Groeselenberg 99, Brussels 1180, Belgium
4. National Office of Health and Food Products Security, ONSSA, Rabat 10000, Morocco
5. CIRAD, Baillarguet International Campus 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
ABSTRACT
Sheep pox is an infectious viral disease that affects
specifically sheep and it is caused by the
Capripoxvirus genus. The clinical signs include fever, diarrhea, difficulty breathing,
nodules, lung lesions and death. In Morocco, the 2010 epidemic of sheep pox was
characterized by the emergence of a nodular form of the disease. The local
strain was isolated and the analysis of affected animals was positively
confirmed by virus isolation and real-time polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR).
The epidemiological analysis of 911 data records showed that the
virus is endemic in the country; an average of 350 cases per year with an
epizootic evolution was observed in 2010. The i
ncidence varies
depending on provinces and the disease appears confined to the central and the
eastern regions of the country where a very intensive sheep breeding activity
is taking place. The statistical analysis showed that there is a
positive correlation between the endemicity and the significant factor of the
rural market (
p = 0.006).
T
he annual average morbidity and
mortality rates were 2.96% (1.26% to 4.32%) and 0.71% (0.41% to 0.94%), respectively. The clinical
findings associated to
the epidemiological data analysis
confirmed the presence of sheep pox in its nodular form and suggest that new
pathogenic strains may have been introduced from Mauritania. The purpose of this work was to provide a better
description of the spatiotemporal evolution of sheep pox disease based on some
epidemiological indicators and to put forward plausible hypotheses regarding
the emergence of the virus in order to implement an adequate control strategy.
KEYWORDS
Sheep pox, Capripoxvirus, epidemiology, clinical signs, virus
isolation, RT-PCR.
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