Abstract:
Bluetongue (BT) is an infectious, non- contagious disease of ruminants transmitted by
Culicoides biting midges and the causative agent is a member of the genus Orbivirus in the
family Reoviridae. A cross sectional study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence
and associated risk factors of bluetongue infection in small ruminants in the selected districts
of South Western Ethiopia: between December 2015 to August 2016. A simple random
sampling technique was used to select sheep and goats for serum sample collection. A total of
422 small ruminants serum samples were examined using competitive enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA) test, 129 (30.6%) at 95% CI (26.2 - 35) of them were found
to be seropositive to bluetongue virus. Multivariate analysis indicated that statistically
significant in goats (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI (1.538 – 3.91), P = 0.001), adult (AOR= 3.1, 95%
CI (1.909 – 5.148), P = 0.001), lowland (AOR = 3.1, 95% CI (1.525 – 6.476), P =0.002) and
midland (AOR =2.4, 95% CI (1.320 – 4.319), P = 0.004). Also statistically significant in
Bedele (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI (1.213 – 4.340), P = 0.011) were significantly influences the
occurrence of bluetongue virus infection in present study districts. Sex and body condition
have no statistically significant difference with the seroprevalence of bluetongue virus (P >
0.05). From this study it is concluded that the bluetongue antibodies virus presence in the
sheep and goats in all examined districts which indicate serological evidence of exposure to
infection was widely distributed all over the study area. These results clearly show the
occurrence of the BTV that emphasize the necessity to a well-defined control strategy for
preventing and controlling in South Western Ethiopia.
