ABSTRACT

Prevalence and distribution of bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies in sheep and goats in Sokoto State are reported. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of BTV antibodies and to identify the potential risk factors associated with BTV infection among sheep and goats in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A total of 368 blood samples were collected randomly from four localities in Sokoto State. The serum samples were screened for bluetongue virus (BTV) antibodies using a commercial competitive enzyme linked immunoassay (C-ELISA). The overall prevalence of BTV antibodies was 59.5% with prevalence ratios of 70.2 and 50.7% in sheep and goats respectively. Results showed that exposure to infection are widely distributed in Sokoto state, Nigeria. The present study indicated that age, animal breed, sex and location are influential risk factors for BTV infection in sheep and goats. Surveillance for BTV infection should be extended to include other susceptible ruminants and to study the distribution of the insect vectors to better predict and respond to a possible BTV outbreak in Sokoto State, Nigeria.