An outbreak of peste des petits ruminant (PPR) among unvaccinated Sahel
goats was investigated in a farm in Maiduguri, Nigeria. The morbidity
rate of 63% and mortality rate of 17% was recorded on the farm, giving
a case fatality rate of 27%. The infected animals manifested serous to
mucopurulent oculonasal discharges, coughing, crust on the lips,
erosive and necrotic lesions on the gums, dyspnoea, diarrhea,
congestion and hepatization of the lungs, congestion in the large
intestine and death. PPR virus antigen was detected in swabs and
tissues of infected animals using agar gel immunodiffusion test (AGID)
and virus was isolated from same samples. PPR virus neutralizing
antibodies was also detected in 75% of goats and 60% of incontact
sheep. This report represents the first confirmed PPR outbreak among
Sahel goats in the North-Eastern region of Nigeria
