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Introduction: In recent years Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease caused several epidemics in a wide range of susceptible hosts. The ability of the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) to cross the species barrier necessitates further research, particularly on disease circulation and cross-species transmission between typical and atypical hosts to guide and facilitate the eradication program anticipated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) in 2030. The aim of this study is to explore the role of dromedary camels as transmitters for PPR., Methodology: Four experiments were carried out on clinically healthy seronegative camels, sheep and goats. In experiment I, the animals were inoculated with a PPR- positive suspension of camel pneumonic lung homogenate. In the other three experiments either sheep and goats were inoculated and after three days were housed with camels or vice versa., Results: Marked clinical signs suggestive of PPR were seen in sheep and goats while camels showed mild infection. Severe clinical signs of PPR were seen in sheep and goats when kept with inoculated camels. Postmortem examination revealed PPR lesions in all inoculated animals including camels., Conclusions: This study showed that dromedary camels infected with PPRV can transmit the disease to sheep and goats, even when they developed mild clinical signs., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2022 Intisar Kamil Saeed, Moez Abdulrahman Haj, Sahar Mohamed Alhassan, Shaza Mohamed Mutwakil, Baraa Ahmed Mohammed, Khalid Mohammed Taha, Genevieve Libeau, Adama Diallo, Yahia Hassan Ali, Abdelmalik Ibrahim Khalafalla.)

In May 2017, many free-ranging dorcas gazelles (Gazella dorcas) with suspected signs of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) were reported in Dinder National Park, South-Eastern Sudan. Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) antigen and nucleic acid were detected in specimens from these gazelles using an immunocapture ELISA and a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. PPRV was also detected in four healthy semi-captive dorcas gazelles from two areas of Khartoum State. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these PPRV strains belonged to the lineage IV genotype. The present study demonstrates that gazelles are a potential wild small ruminant host for PPRV and may influence the epidemiology of PPR in the Sudan.

During 2015 and 2016, from five different States of the Sudan, a total of 1000 cattle sera were purposively collected from many herds of apparently healthy cattle regardless of their age, sex, and breed. Assessment of the sero-prevalence of PPRV antibodies using competitive ELISA (C-ELISA) yielded a higher overall sero-prevalence of 42.0% (420/1000) among cattle populations in the Sudan which is higher than previously reported. Within Sudanese States under study, the highest sero-prevalence of 53.5% (107/200 sera) was demonstrated in Khartoum State while the least sero-prevalence of 31.5% (63/200 sera) was demonstrated in White Nile State. The higher PPRV sero-prevalence values detected in cattle suggested the potential exposure of cattle to PPRV via contact with infected small ruminants and thus might be an indicator of infection of small ruminants. There is a need to include serological surveillance of PPR in cattle within the sero-monitoring program of PPR to give a better indication of the national herd immunity and to assess in the ongoing eradication program.