Seroprevalence and Risk factors of Akabane Virus Infection in cattle from Khouzestan Province of Iran

Abstract

Background and Aims: Akabane virus is an arbovirus in the genus Orthobunyavirus of the family Bunyaviridae that can affect ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats. This arthropodborne virus is transmitted by either mosquitoes or midges and has been identified as a cause of outbreaks of reproductive disorders (abortions, premature births, and stillbirths) and congenital malformations (arthrogryposis, hydranencephaly and microencephaly) in cattle, sheep and goats. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of Akabane virus infection in cattle from Khouzestan province, the Southwest of Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study serum samples of 361 cows were randomly collected from 9 cities of Khouzestan province and were examined by commercial ELISA kite. Results: Seroprevalence of Akabane virus infection was 85.87% (95% CI: 82.27-89.47%). Univariate statistical analysis showed that breed and age of cows (p<0.05) plus location and sex (p<0.001) were significantly associated with infection but history of recently abortion and type of management are not significantly associated with infection (p>0.05). Multivariate logistic regression showed that age, sex, breed, history of recently abortion, type of management and location justify 30.7% of infection fluctuations. Conclusions: The results of the present study confirmed that cattle in Khouzestan province are highly infected with Akabane virus. These findings call for continuous monitoring of the disease among ruminants in order to ascertain the actual burden and increase awareness of the disease. This will facilitate early detection and aid the development of appropriate control measures against the disease in this area.

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Akabane Virus Infection in Sheep and Goats in Fars Province, Iran

“…It was also found that the seroprevalence of the AKAV infection is significantly related to lactation conditions (lactating or heifer) (21). In another study, age, race, and geographical location showed a significant positive relationship with the prevalence of infection, while history of abortion did not show a relationship with the prevalence of infection (22). Furthermore, gender showed a strong relationship with the prevalence of infection, which is in accordance with the present results (5).…”

“…Studies have shown that the prevalence of AKAV infection can differ across various regions of the same province. In a similar study conducted in Khuzestan, the prevalence of infection in different cities of the province differed from each other (22). These results are in agreement with other studies on the AKAV (2,18).…”

“…In Semnan province, Iran, the serum examination of cows showed that the prevalence of the AKAV infection ranged from 0-75%, and compared to the bluetongue virus with no infection, it was classified as having higher importance (21). In Khuzestan province, which is located near Fars province, the results showed that 72.39% and 85.87% of the investigated sheep and cattle, respectively, were seropositive for the AKAV (18,22). In addition, the prevalence of AKAV in ruminants in Saudi Arabia, which is located in the neighborhood of Iran, was reported to be about 70% (23).…”

“…However, in the study conducted by Mohajer et al (21), there was no correlation between the prevalence of these two viruses. In countries with a moderate climate, the prevalence of infection is usually high in the hot and humid months of summer and autumn due to the high presence of virus-carrying mosquitoes (6,22).…”