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Bluetongue virus infection in cattle: serosurvey and its associated risk factors

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Abstract

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a vector-borne virus that primarily affects sheep. However, the disease is usually asymptomatic in cattle without obvious clinical signs related to BTV infection. Although there is evidence of BTV antibodies through serology in Egypt, it is still unknown whether Egyptian cattle have ever been exposed to the virus in the north or south of the country. The study’s aims were to determine the seroprevalence of BTV and evaluate the potential risk factors for BTV infection in cattle in Egypt. We used a competitive ELISA to screen 690 healthy cattle for BTV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in four governorates in Egypt. A total seroprevalence of BTV antibodies in examined cattle was 51.47%, 95%CI: 48.01–55.45. The odds of BTV seropositivity were higher in Aswan (OR=1.30, 95%CI: 0.71–2.36), females (OR=3.29, 95%CI: 1.87–5.79), and elder cattle >8 years (OR=12.91, 95%CI: 6.63–25.13). Moreover, cattle contacted with other animals (OR=1.40, 95%CI: 0.94–2.10), with history of abortion (OR=4.88, 95%CI: 3.14–7.59), and those living with presence of insects (OR=12.34, 95%CI: 8–19.30) were more likely to be infected with bluetongue (BT). To effectively predict and respond to a potential BTV outbreak in Egypt, surveillance for BTV infection should be expanded to cover other susceptible ruminants and the range of the insect vectors.

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Funding

This work was supported through the Annual Funding track by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia (Grant Number 2844).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Toukh, 13736, Egypt

    Abdelfattah Selim

  2. Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Asha, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Marzok & Mohamed Salem

  3. Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt

    Mohamed Marzok

  4. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, 82722, Saudi Arabia

    Khalid Alkashif

  5. Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafr El Sheikh University, Kafr El Sheikh, Egypt

    Mahmoud Kandeel

  6. Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, 31982, Saudi Arabia

    Mahmoud Kandeel

  7. Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, 12613, Cairo, Egypt

    Mohamed Salem

  8. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, 45142, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Z. Sayed-Ahmed

  9. Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Mohamed Z. Sayed-Ahmed

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  1. Abdelfattah Selim
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Contributions

Conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, resources, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K., and M.M.; writing—review and editing, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K., and M.M.; project administration, M.M.; funding acquisition, A.S., M.Z.S.A., K.A., M.S., M.K., and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Abdelfattah Selim or Mohamed Marzok.

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All procedures involving the handling and collection of blood samples were approved by the Benha University ethical committee for animal studies. The cattle owners gave their informed agreement for the samples to be collected. When doing this research, the ARRIVE standards were followed.

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Selim, A., Marzok, M., Alkashif, K. et al. Bluetongue virus infection in cattle: serosurvey and its associated risk factors. Trop Anim Health Prod 55, 285 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-023-03701-5

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