Epidemiological investigation of bluetongue virus antibodies in sheep in Iran

Aim: Bluetongue is a non-contagious, infectious viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants; which is believed to have originated in Africa. The epidemiology of Bluetongue virus infection is poorly defined in many parts of the world, including a wide range of Asia and the Middle East. This paper reports the results of a Bluetongue serological survey in sheep from some provinces of Iran during 2007-2008. Material and Methods: A total of 996 sheep sera were collected from 8 provinces in Iran and tested for Bluetongue virus specific using c-ELISA. Results: The results showed that the Bluetongue virus seroprevalence of sheep over the entire study areas was 34.93%, with the highest and lowest prevalence seen in West-Azerbaijan (64.86%) and Qom (12.1%) areas respectively. Conclusion: The results demonstrated a high prevalence of Bluetongue antibodies in Iranian sheep, giving serological evidence of extensive exposure to Bluetongue virus infection in some provinces of the country.