Abstract

In the frame work of the Pan African Control of Epizootics (PACE) Program, a cross-sectional serological survey for rinderpest (RP) was conducted among non-vaccinated cattle in Unity State, Sudan. A total of 280 serum samples were collected from cattle of different ages and both sexes in eight sites between June and December 2004. These sera were tested for antibodies against rinderpest virus (RPV) using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA). Only 15.4% of the sera were positive to the RPV antibodies in the different locations of the state. An obvious and significant (p<0.05) variation in the prevalence of antibodies to the virus among various locations was noted. A significantly (p <0.01) higher levels of prevalence rates were observed in the age group of 5 to 10 years of cattle compared to other age groups. The results also indicated the prevalence of antibodies to the virus in females is always higher than in the male animals (p<0.05). Our data demonstrated the situation of RP in the unity state, the only locus known to harbor the disease in the country at large. This helped by designing a strategic eradication plan leading to declare Sudan as a RP free country in 2005.

Key words: Rinderpest, c-ELISA, eradication, Unity state, Sudan.