Seroprevalence of Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in Goats and Sheep from Northeastern Uganda, Karamoja Region

Background: Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia [CCPP] is a notifiable respiratory tract disease of small ruminants caused by by Mycoplasma capricolum subspecies capripneumoniae (Mccp) [goats] or Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (Mcop) [sheep]. CCPP is associated with high economic losses due to high morbidity, mortality and restrictions to livestock and livestock products market access. Endemic countries need to generate area-wide Mccp | Mcop seroprevalence data and use them to design CCPP control and surveillance programs, to which effort this study contributed. Methods: We collected 2,296 sheep and goat blood samples from 38 randomly selected small ruminant village [clusters] herds. These herds were drawn from three randomly selected [out of nine] Karamoja region districts. These sera were screened for anti-Mccp | Mcop IgG antibodies using the IDEXX CCPP competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay [cELISA] kits. The Mccp | Mcop seroprevalence estimates, their 95 % confidence intervals were computed and mixed-effect binomial logistic regression modelswith random intercepts for villages fit to determine which risk factors explained the computed seroconversion rates. All statistical analyses were completed in R-4.1.2 for Microsoft Windows. Results and their significance : Over a third [42.7%; CI: 40.7-44.7] of all screened goats and sheep were seropositive for Mccp and Mcop respectively. Goats [34.0%] were 3.5 times more likely to be Mccp seropositive than sheep [8.7%]. Statistically significant [p<0.05] predictors of goat and sheep seroconversion to Mccp and Mcop included overnight stay in protected kraals, increasing age, sex in favor of females and location of some herds [some villages, sub counties, along international boarders]. Conclusion: We report a high seroprevalence of Mccp/Mcop across Amudat, Kaabong and Karenga districts of Karamoja region, indicating increased endemicity of CCPP since the sampled herds had no history of CCPP vaccination. Risk-based CCPP control programs should target predictors of seroconversion to Mccp/Mcop. For example, goats can particularly be targeted since they present a higher risk of seroconversion. Hot-spot villages along regional boarders should be priority for intervention. Overnight stay in protected kraals should only be considered if small ruminants have been vaccinated.