Seroprevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia in the Middle-Belt of Nigeria

The aim of the study was to establish the seroprevalence of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) among cattle and small ruminants received at abattoirs in Ilorin, Nigeria. A total of 643 blood samples were taken from 324 cattle and 319 sheep and goats. These samples were screened for CBPP and CCPP using rapid latex agglutination tests. The majority were from the north of Nigeria. Sera from cattle were screened for the causative mycoplasma of CBPP, Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) and small ruminants were screened for the presence of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (Mccp), the cause of CCPP, using specific latex agglutination tests. Clinical signs including specific clinical signs associated with CBPP were also assessed. A prevalence rate of just over 56% was recorded for CBPP. In all, 22 of 324 cattle showed clinical signs but only 10 showed specific clinical signs associated with CBPP infection such as dyspnoea, nasal discharge and cough. A CCPP prevalence rate of about 33% was found among the small ruminants. In total, 52 of 319 small ruminants showed clinical signs of disease but only 22 of these were associated with seropositivity.  The high seroprevalence of CBPP and CCPP in this study is suggestive of extensive CBPP and CCPP infection in Ilorin, Nigeria.   Key words: Abattoir survey, Nigeria, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP), seroprevalence.