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Simple Summary: Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) is an acute, fatal, and septicemic bacterial disease of cattle and buffaloes caused by Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida). The present study aimed to carry out HS surveillance through multi-stage random sampling constituting 692 cattle and buffalo serum samples sourced from two Indian states, four districts, eight clusters, 56 epiunits, and 306 households (HHs) by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Significantly higher (p < 0.0001) iELISA positives were observed in Gujarat compared to Karnataka state. Of the 306 households visited, 9 of 27 epiunits (33.33%) in Karnataka and 24 out of 29 epiunits in Gujarat were iELISA positive (82.75%) and an association was found to be significant (p = 0.0002). However, a non-significant association to species, age, or lactation was recorded, although indigenous cattle breeds had a higher HS sero-prevalence compared to crossbreeds. This study highlights important baseline data on HS sero-prevalence in two major milk-producing states of India at different strata. Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) is a highly contagious and fatal disease of cattle and buffaloes caused by P. multocida. Both conventional and molecular methods are applied in parallel for rapid diagnosis of HS outbreaks and the periodical surveillance strategy to identify risk areas for HS is ignored. The current cross-sectional study aimed to estimate sero-prevalence and associated risk factors for HS in cattle and buffaloes in non-vaccinated regions of two Indian states. HS surveillance was carried out through the multi-stage random sampling technique at different strata. The study employed a questionnaire incorporating host factors (species, breed, sex, age, and lactation) and demographic parameters (state, district, block/cluster and village/epiunits, and household). First, two Indian states known for high milk production were selected followed by two districts within each state, subsequently four clusters within each district, finally 5–10 epiunits within clusters and 5–8 households within clusters were randomly selected to collect cattle and buffalo samples. The chi-square/p values and maps were prepared to represent disease prevalence and to correlate disease risk factors at different strata. A total of 692 cattle and buffalo serum samples were sourced from two states of the country (Karnataka-285 and Gujarat-407). In the first strata, antibodies to P. multocida were high in Gujarat (14.49%, CI: 11.22–18.30) compared to Karnataka (3.85%, CI: 1.94–6.80) with significant (p < 0.0001) association between the states. In the second strata, one of the four districts investigated revealed the highest sero-prevalence (18.61%, CI: 13.81–24.24) with statistical significance (p = 0.01) between the districts. Among clusters, one out of eight clusters showed the highest sero-prevalence (23.02%, CI: 16.59–30.54) with statistical significance (p = 0.03) between the clusters in the third strata. At epiunit level (fourth strata), 9 out of 27 epiunits (33.33%) visited in Karnataka and 24 out of 29 epiunits sampled in Gujarat were sero-positive (82.75%) in iELISA. At the household level, out of 306 HH visited, 40 HH had at least one positive animal (13.07%) and the p value between HH in the two states was highly significant (p = 0.0002). Chi-square analysis did not find any association of HS sero-prevalence to species, age, and lactation. However, significantly higher (p < 0.05) sero-prevalence was recorded in indigenous cattle breeds (16.56%) compared to crossbreeds (6.59%). Various immunoprophylactics and antibiotic therapies are effective against HS, but inappropriate disease reporting and failure to implement adequate vaccination control measures are the gaps identified. The present study highlights the current scenario of HS sero-prevalence in two of the high milk-producing states of India, which will be useful for stakeholders for undertaking the implementation of surveillance and control strategies for the regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a case of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Kutch, Gujarat, India. CCHF is a tick-borne disease that affects humans and animals. The article provides detailed information about a 51-year-old male patient who had contact with livestock and exhibited symptoms such as fever, headache, myalgia, and fatigue. Despite treatment, the patient developed multiorgan dysfunction and ultimately died from the infection. The article emphasizes the importance of timely diagnosis, isolation, and treatment for CCHF, as well as the need for awareness and preventive measures in at-risk communities. [Extracted from the article]

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-borne viral disease that causes a fatal hemorrhagic illness in humans. This disease is asymptomatic in animals. CCHF was first confirmed in a nosocomial outbreak in 2011 in Gujarat State. Another notifiable outbreak occurred in July, 2013, in Karyana Village, Amreli district, Gujarat State. Anti-CCHF virus (CCHFV) immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were detected in domestic animals from the adjoining villages of the affected area, indicating a considerable amount of positivity against domestic animals. The present serosurvey was carried out to determine the prevalence of CCHFV among bovine, sheep, and goat populations from 15 districts of Gujarat State, India. A total of 1226 serum samples from domestic animals were screened for IgG antibodies using a CCHF animal IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibodies were detected in all the 15 districts surveyed; with positivity of 12.09%, 41.21%, and 33.62% in bovine, sheep, and goat respectively. This necessitates the surveillance of CCHFV IgG antibodies in animals and hemorrhagic fever cases in human.

Equine influenza is a contagious viral disease that affects all members of the family Equidae, i.e., horses, donkeys and mules. The authors describe the pattern of equine influenza outbreaks in a number of states of India from July 2008 to June 2009. The disease was first reported in June 2008 in Katra (Jammu and Kashmir) and spread to ten other states within a year. All outbreaks of equine influenza in the various states were confirmed by laboratory investigations (virus isolation and/or serological confirmation based on haemagglutination inhibition [HI] assays of paired samples) before declaring them as equine influenza virus-affected state(s). The virus (H3N8) was reported from various locations in the country including Katra, Mysore (Karnataka), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Gopeshwar and Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) and was isolated in 9- to 11-day-old embryonated chicken eggs. The virus was confirmed as H3N8 by HI assays with standard serum and amplification of full-length haemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Serum samples (n = 4 740) of equines from 13 states in India screened by HI revealed 1074 (22.65%) samples as being positive for antibodies to equine influenza virus (H3N8).