Clinicopathological and molecular investigation of a PPR outbreak in an organized goat farm in Tripura

Abstract

Morbillivirus caprinae, belonging to the genus Morbillivirus and family Paramyxoviridae, is the cause of peste des petits ruminants (PPR), an acute and infectious viral disease that affects mainly small ruminants, especially goats. The disease is characterized by fever, necrotic stomatitis affecting the inner part of the lower lip and adjoining gum, severe gastroenteritis, inflammation of the bronchi, and often fatality. One privately owned organized goat farm on the outskirts of Agartala procured sixty Beetal and Sirohi goats from Rajasthan. Following a few days of introduction, the animals began exhibiting various symptoms, including fever, anorexia, cough, nasal mucus discharge, and diarrhea. The affected animals died within two to three days of the onset of clinical signs. Morbidity reached approximately 100%, and mortality was recorded to be 50%. Samples collected from ailing animals and necropsied specimens were subjected to histopathological examination followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) employing primer pairs specific for the nucleocapsid (N) gene of Morbillivirus caprinae. The pathological lesions were suggestive of PPR, which was later confirmed by PCR.