African horse sickness and equine infectious anaemia serology in The Gambia.

The research article reveals a study conducted on diseases prevalent in horses and donkeys in The Gambia, focusing on African Horse Sickness (AHS) and Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA). The researchers found a high prevalence (95.5%) of antibodies against AHS serotype 9 in donkeys and horses, but no evidence of EIA.

Research Context and Background

• The research was initiated because of the prominent presence of horses and donkeys in The Gambia, and yet the lack of data on disease, nutritional status, and management practices affecting their performance.
• It was noted that no serological studies on AHS and EIA had been done for The Gambia, and few such reports existed from the subregion.

Research Methodology

• Sera were collected from 112 donkeys and 15 horses during the 1990 rainy season in three selected villages, representing more than 90% of the total equine population there.
• The sera were tested commercially for AHS antibodies via a serum neutralization method on cell cultures. For EIA serology, a commercial agar gel diffusion kit was used.

Research Findings

• High prevalence (95.5%) of antibodies against AHS serotype 9 were found among the donkeys and all 15 horses tested.
• More than half (52.7%) of the donkeys and 73.3% of the horses, showed a high level of these antibodies, indicative of recent or continuous contact with the AHS virus, at least during the rainy season.
• Despite this, aside from one suspected but unconfirmed case, no clinically sick animals were observed, leaving it unknown whether a clinical disease occurs or not.
• In contrast, there was no evidence of EIA in any of the horse or donkey sera tested.

Comparative Interpretations

• The report compared the results with previous findings by Sarr et al. (1988) for Senegal, revealing similar serological prevalence of AHS in equines.
• It highlighted that only AHS serotype 9 was detected, which agreed with results from Sarr et al.’s studies in Senegal.
• As for EIA, the negativity in this study was further compared with low prevalence reported (<1% – 3%) in other areas like Senegal and Burkina Faso.