Serological survey of African horse sickness in selected districts of Jimma zone, Southwestern Ethiopia.

This research article conducted a study on the prevalence and risk factors of African horse sickness in select areas of Jimma zone in Southwestern Ethiopia. The findings revealed that the disease is highly prevalent, particularly among horses, mules, and donkeys.

Research Design and Sample Selection

• The researchers carried out a cross-sectional serological survey from November 2009 to February 2010 in specific districts within different agro-ecologies of the Jimma zone. These districts included Dedo, Yebu, Seka, Serbo, and Jimma town.
• Randomly selected for the study were 274 equids comprising 189 horses, 43 mules, and 47 donkeys. All these animals had a history of non-vaccination for at least two years.

Data Collection and Analysis

• Sera samples were collected from these animals and tested for specific antibodies against African horse sickness virus using the blocking ELISA assay technique.
• The researchers then determined the seroprevalence of the virus, which denotes the level of individuals in a population who test positive for a specific disease based on blood serum specimens.
• The seroprevalence was significantly different among the different species of equids as well as among the different agro-ecological areas. However, factors such as age and sex showed no significant association with seroprevalence of the African horse sickness virus.

Key Findings

• The overall seroprevalence was found to be 32.5%, with the highest prevalence in donkeys (51.1%), followed by mules (30.2%) and horses (28.3%).
• Interestingly, the seroprevalence was also significantly different across different regions. It was observed to be higher in highland areas at 40.5%, followed by midland regions at 34.5%, and lowest in lowland regions at 16.9%.

Conclusion and Recommendations

• The results suggest that African horse sickness is highly prevalent in the Jimma zone, particularly among horses, mules, and donkeys. This was indicated by the lower seroconversion rate, which is the development of detectable specific antibodies in the blood serum as a response to an infection or immunization.
• The researchers recommend directing any control strategy against the disease initially toward high risk species of all ages and sexes in their locality for better containment and management of the disease.