Sero-prevalence of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in selected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

Abstract

Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a severe respiratory disease caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp) that affects goats and other small ruminants worldwide. CCPP is characterized by fever, coughing, dyspnea, pleurisy, and high mortality rates. CCPP is transmitted through direct or indirect contact with infected animals or aerosols. CCPP causes significant economic losses due to reduced productivity, increased mortality, and increased veterinary costs. The aim of this study was to assess the sero-prevalence of CCPP in selected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, and explore associated risk factors. We hypothesized that, CCPP is prevalent in the studied population and that it varies by district, age, and gender. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to March 2023, involving the collection of serum samples from 1230 small ruminants (900 goats and 330 sheep) from 15 districts within KP. A convenience sampling method was used to select 82 herds with an average herd size of 15 animals. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) was employed to detect anti-Mccp antibodies. Samples were categorized as positive if the percentage of inhibition (SPI) exceeded 55%. Out of 1230 serum samples tested, 92 samples (7.47%) were found positive for anti-Mccp antibodies, indicating the presence of CCPP in the studied population. District-wise analysis revealed varying sero-prevalence rates, ranging from 3.66% in Karak to 13.41% in Abbottabad. However, these differences were not statistically significant (Chi-square test, p=0.15). The study further categorized animals by age (<6 months, 6 months-1 year, >1 year) and gender (male, female). Age-related patterns showed no significant differences in sero-prevalence across age groups in both goats (ANOVA test, p=0.21) and sheep (ANOVA test, p=0.34). However, gender-based analysis revealed a significantly higher sero-prevalence in female goats (11.8%) compared to males (4.6%) (t-test, p<0.05), while in sheep, a similar trend was observed, with higher sero-prevalence in female sheep (5.6%) compared to rams (2.6%) (t-test, p<0.05).