Investigation of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus in Sudan using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Aim: This seroprevalence study was carried out to detect anti Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) antibodies in goat sera in five States in Sudan during 2009 and 2010. Materials and Methods: In this study, 432 sera samples collected from five States in Sudan were screened for anti-CAEV antibodies using a commercially available competitive ELISA (cELISA) kit. Results: Out of 432 samples, 25 (5.8%) tested positive using ELISA. The highest prevalence was recorded in El-Gazira State (19%), whereas the prevalence was 10.7% in Kassala State, 0.92% in Khartoum State and no samples tested positive from Northern and River Nile States. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the disease had spread to other states, apart from its previously known prevalence in Khartoum, in Sudan. Our results call for better control and quarantine measures on imports of live animals into Sudan for genetic improvement programs. Further epizootiological investigations on CAEV in goats and Maedi Visna Virus in sheep at a national level are also needed to carefully monitor and prevent its spread and also to determine its impact on the economy of Sudan.