405 1Pan African University Life and Earth Sciences Institute. 2Viral Vaccines Production Department, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria. 3National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria. *Corresponding author at: Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. E‑mail: ogloryus@yahoo.com. Please refer to the forthcoming article as: Adeoye et al. 2022. Molecular Detection of Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus (PPRV) in Goats, Sheep and Commercial PPRV Vaccines in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Vet Ital. 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1. Fiyinfoluwa Adeoye1, Adedamilola Kolapo1, Oluyemi Ogunmolawa2, Adegboyega Aluko3, Clement Meseko4, Oluwayelu3 and some wild carnivores, and the measles virus of humans (Radostits et al., 2000). Peste des petits ruminants is a key transboundary animal disease and has been reported across West, Central, East and some parts of North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and Asia, although it has been found to be emerging in new areas of the world (Banyard et al., 2010, 2014). Regions of the world that are endemic for PPR are known to be important sheep- Introduction Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), similarly referred to as ‘syndrome of stomatitis-pneumoenteritis’, ‘goat plague’, ‘ovine rinderpest’ or ‘kata’, is a highly infectious disease of sheep and goats. The disease is caused by PPR virus (PPRV), which belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae and genus Morbillivirus. The virus is tightly linked to the rinderpest virus of buffaloes and cattle, morbilliviruses that affect aquatic mammals, distemper virus that affects dogs Keywords Goats, Ibadan, Peste des petits ruminants virus, sheep, Vaccine. Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 Accepted: 19.07.2021 | Available on line: 31.12.2022 Summary Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a vaccine-preventable transboundary animal disease of goats and sheep majorly, and is regarded as a major constraint to small ruminant production especially in developing countries like Nigeria. Despite different strategies that have been employed to control PPR in Nigeria, cases of the disease are still reported in PPR-vaccinated and unvaccinated small ruminant farms. In this study, molecular detection of field PPR virus (PPRV) strains was carried out to determine the presence of PPRV. A total of 135 samples (45 oculo-nasal swabs and 90 tissue samples) were purposively collected between August and October 2020 from goats and sheep at the Akinyele live small ruminant market and at Akinyele and Amosun abattoirs in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Using reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction with primers targeting the partial N-gene of PPRV, 10 out of the 135 (7.4%) field samples yielded positive results.. The results of this study reveal that PPRV currently circulates in Ibadan. These findings underscore the need for continuous PPR surveillance, more extensive characterization of circulating PPRV strains and the importance of consistent use of quality vaccines in the country to achieve more effective preventive and control strategies against the disease. Molecular Detection of Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus (PPRV) in Goats and Sheep in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Adeoye et al. 406 Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 and goat-rearing areas. In Nigeria, the population of sheep and goats was projected to be about 50 million, with goats outnumbering sheep (FAO, 2006). From 1995 to 2000, a study was carried out which documented PPR seroprevalence in some Nigerian States to be 38.34% in goats and 49.26% in sheep. In the same study, PPR was also observed in warthogs and camels (Shamaki et al., 2004). Furthermore, across various Nigerian ecological zones, PPR field outbreaks were reported in 2008 (Kazeem et al., 2009). Small ruminants are important in providing food and commodities for trade. They provide peasant farmers with basic livelihood, with the meat serving as a chief source of animal protein with an estimation of over 35% (Shamaki et al., 2004; Adamu et al., 2005). These livestocks sustain the income and employment of many people in the rural communities, contribute draught energy, manure for production of crops and skin for leather industries which also earns foreign exchange. In addition, these animals are used for traditional and religious festivities. However, production of these livestocks which is highly economically important, is extremely hindered by the great morbidity and mortality reportedly associated with PPRV. Depending on its endemicity in an area, great economic losses have been recorded due to 100% morbidity and 80-90% mortality among affected animals despite the availability of vaccines (Adamu et al., 2005). PPR is characterized by diarrhoea, fever, oculo-nasal mucopurulent discharges, enteritis, conjunctivitis, erosive-ulcerative stomatitis, broncho-interstitial pneumonia and fibrino-necrotic tracheitis (Kul et al., 2007). In severe cases, death results from severe dehydration caused by acute diarrhea or secondary bacterial pneumonia. Abortion has been reported from co-existence of PPRV with pestiviruses (Abubakar et al., 2008). In some cases, PPRV is considered more dangerous in goats than sheep; nonetheless, outbreaks affecting both sheep and goat populations have been described (Chauhan et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2009). Furthermore, in some cases, goats seem uninfected, whereas sheep have great rates of morbidity and mortality (Yesilbag et al., 2005). The reason for this is yet unknown although the infecting viral strain(s) and host species seem to play crucial roles. Also, although only one PPRV serotype is recognized, diverse strains of the virus which differ in virulence when experimentally inoculated into the same breed of goats have been reported (Couacy-Hymann et al., 2007a). In addition, various breeds of goats are known to react in several ways to disease with the same virus (Diop et al., 2005). Asymptomatic infection has also been observed in some species (Bidjeh et al., 1995, Ezeibe et al., 2008). In Nigeria, PPR remains an endemic disease of sheep and goats and is the most important single cause of high morbidity and mortality in these animals, thereby limitating livestock production (Saliu et al., 2008). Hamdy and Dardiri (1976) reported the financial loss associated with PPR annually in Nigeria to be about USD 1.5 million which is about USD 700 million in recent budget. Bearing in mind the economic losses resultant from this infection, the necessity therefore remains for continued monitoring of PPR in Nigeria for early detection, and effective management and control. Vaccination with homologous PPR vaccines has been the control technique yet sporadic cases on both vaccinated and unvaccinated animals have been reported, thus the disease remains a major problem (Luka et al., 2011). Furthermore, Nigeria shares boundaries with Benin Republic to the West, Cameroon and Chad to the East and Niger Republic to the North. These land borders are porous, permitting continuous influx of pastoralists and their livestock into Nigeria. Considering this regular cross-border movement of pastoralists and their livestock, and the incessant cases of PPR in small ruminants in Nigeria, it is important to regularly carry out surveillance to detect the circulating field PPR virus(es). The study was designed to investigate the presence of PPRV in goats and sheep in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria using molecular-based techniques. Materials and methods Study site and population This study was conducted in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria (Figure 1). Figure 1. Map of Oyo State showing the study areas in Ibadan. Adeoye et al. Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 407 The commercially available PPR vaccine in Ibadan was also included in this study for comparative molecular assay. Sampling technique A purposive sampling technique was used for the field sample collection. Only sheep and goats for sale or those having clinical signs suggestive of PPR at slaughter were included in this study. A total of 135 samples were purposively collected from Akinyele live small ruminant market, and Akinyele and Amosun abattoirs in Ibadan, Oyo State between August and October, 2020. The distribution of the animals sampled based on species, breed, sex, age and site of sample collection is presented in Table I. The animals are often brought to the market from villages around Ibadan and these markets also serve as transit points to other larger markets where the animals are re-sold for profit. Table I. Distribution of the animals sampled in Oyo State, Nigeria based on location, species, breed, number, sex and age. Location Species Breed Number Sex Age Total number of animals sampled Akinyele live small ruminant market Caprine Red Sokoto 9 Male >1 year 45 Red Sokoto 7 Female West African Dwarf 4 Male Ovine West African Dwarf 3 Female West African Dwarf 7 Male >1 year West African Dwarf 14 Female Sahel 1 Female Amosun Abattoir Caprine Red Sokoto 9 Male >1 year 45 Red Sokoto 5 Female West African Dwarf 6 Male West African Dwarf 9 Female Ovine West African Dwarf 5 Male >1 year West African Dwarf 11 Female Akinyele Abattoir Caprine Red Sokoto 5 Male >1 year 45 Red Sokoto 9 Female West African Dwarf 8 Male West African Dwarf 7 Female West African Dwarf 10 Male >1 year West African Dwarf 6 Female Sample collection Forty-five oculonasal swabs were collected from Akinyele live small ruminant market, and 45 tissue samples each from Akinyele and Amosun abattoirs. The tissue samples comprised lung, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes. The samples were properly labeled with designated sample identity tags, site of swab collection or type of tissues collected and date of sample collection. Oculo-nasal swabs collected from live small ruminants were transported in viral transport medium containing 2000 units/ml of penicillin, Ibadan is located on coordinates 723’47’’N and 3 55’0’’E. It lies in the tropical rainforest zone and has a population of about 3.7 million people as at 2021 with over 6 million living in the metropolis. The city has both tropical wet and dry climates; the wet period extends from March to October while the dry period runs from November through February (Wells, 2008). Sample size determination Using the formula of Thrusfield and Christley (2005), the size for the field samples (from goats and sheep) collected was calculated to be 135. This was based on an estimated prevalence (Pexp) of 9.7% from a previous study (Mantip et al., 2016), reliability coefficient (Z) of 1.96 at 95% confidence interval and absolute precision (d) of 5%, using the formula n = Z² Pexp (1-Pexp) / d² Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Adeoye et al. 408 Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 Germany) was added to the spin column and centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 1 min. The spin column was placed in a clean 2 ml collection tube while the tube containing the filtrate was discarded. 500 μL of Buffer AW2 (QIAgen, Hilden, Germany) was added to the spin column and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm for 3 min. The QIAamp mini spin column was placed in a clean 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube while the tube containing the filtrate was discarded. 60 μL of Buffer AVE (QIAgen, Hilden, Germany) was added to the spin column and incubated at room temperature for 1 min. This was then centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 1 min. Finally, the labeled 1.5 ml tube containing the eluted RNA was kept at -80°C before moving to the PCR mix room. For positive control, the viral RNA was extracted from a previously known positive PPR sample while a non-template control was used as negative control. One-Step Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) One-Step RT-PCR was performed for the amplification of a 350 base pair fragment of the N-gene using the following primers: • Forward primer: PPR-NP3 (5’-GTC TCG GAA ATC GCC TCA CAG-3’) • Reverse primer: PPR-NP4 (5’-CCT CCT CCT GGT CCT CCA GAA-3’), and using a 25 μL final reaction volume, mixtures containing 12.75 μL RNase-free water, 5 μL PCR buffer 5X, 0.5 μL dNTPs, 0.5 μL One-Step RT-PCR Enzyme Mix, 0.25 μL RNase Inhibitor, 5 μL of RNA template and 0.5 μL each of the primers. A 96-well thermocycler (Applied Biosystems) (Biopolis, Singapore) was used for the amplification. It was set to start at 50°C for 30 minutes, followed by initial denaturation at 95°C for 15 minutes. Thereafter, 35 cycles of denaturation, annealing and elongation of the templates were achieved at the cycling conditions of 94°C for 30 seconds, 55°C for 30 seconds and 72°C for 1 minute, respectively. Final extension of the templates was achieved at 72°C for 10 minutes. The amplified PCR products were analyzed by electrophoresis in 1% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide (1 μg/ mL) and run at 120 V for 30 minutes. The bands were visualized under an ultraviolet transilluminator. Results Agarose gel electrophoresis of amplified products of the 135 field samples tested revealed that only 10 (7.4%) yielded the expected 350 bp band as previously described (Couacy-Hymann et al., 2002) (Figure 2). 2 mg/ml of streptomycin, 0.05 mg/ml of gentamycin and 100 units/ml of mycostatin in a cool flask with ice packs. Tissues (lung, spleen and lymph node) were collected from carcasses of slaughtered animals. All samples collected were transported in cool flasks with ice packs to the Virology laboratory, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ibadan where they were stored at -20°C under constant power supply for approximately one week before being transported in a cold chain to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Plateau State where they were stored at -80°C until processed for PPRV detection. Preparation of necropsy tissues Necropsy tissues were processed in the as previously described (Mantip et al., 2016). Briefly, 10% suspensions of the tissues were prepared by pooling 1 g of lung, spleen and lymph node from the same animal and macerating them using a mortar and pestle. Thereafter, sterile sand and phosphate- buffered saline were added. The suspension was centrifuged at 2500 g for 5 min and the supernatant pipetted into cryovials, labelled properly and stored at -20°C. The leftover tissues were kept at -80°C for further usage. Molecular detection of PPRV in goats and sheep Viral Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) extraction Viral RNA was extracted directly from the viral transport medium containing swab samples collected from the live small ruminant market and homogenized tissue samples from the abattoirs. The extraction was performed using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini kit (QIAgen, Hilden, Germany) according to the manufacturer’s instruction. The procedure was carried out as follows: 560 μL of the prepared buffer AVL (QIAgen, Hilden, Germany) containing carrier RNA was pipetted into a 1.5 ml microcentrifuge tube. 140 μL of homogenized tissue samples or pulse-vortexed viral transport media containing the swab was pipetted into the buffer AVL containing carrier RNA in a microcentrifuge tube. This was mixed by pulse-vortexing for 15 seconds and incubated at room temperature for ten minutes after which it was briefly centrifuged to remove drops from the inside of the lid. 560 μL of ethanol (96- 100%) was added to the mixture which was pulse- vortexed for 15 seconds and briefly centrifuged. 630 μL of the solution was aliquoted to the QIAamp Mini Spin Column (in a 2 ml collection tube) and centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 1 min. The tube containing the filtrate was then discarded. Thereafter, 500 μL Buffer AW1 (QIAgen, Hilden, Adeoye et al. Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 409 Figure 2. RT-PCR product bands (350 bp) of amplified PPR virus N- gene. M = 100 bp molecular weight marker; Lanes 1-10 = positive bands for the tissue samples; Lane 11 = positive band for NVRI PPR vaccine; Lane 12 = positive control; Lane 13 = negative control. Out of the tissue samples collected at Amosun abattoir, only one (7.1%) of 14 female West African Dwarf (WAD) goats, 4 (26.7%) of 15 male WAD goats, none (0%) of 11 female WAD sheep and one (20.0%) of 5 male WAD sheep tested positive for PPRV RNA, while for the tissue samples collected at Akinyele abattoir, one (5.6%) of 18 female WAD goats, 3 (23.1%) of 13 male WAD goats, none (0%) of 6 female WAD sheep and none (0%) of 10 male WAD sheep were positive. In addition, none (0%) of the 45 oculo-nasal swab samples collected from goats and sheep at Akinyele live small ruminant market was positive for PPRV nucleic acid (Table II). Analysis of the results based on abattoir location showed that of the 45 of the samples each from Amosun and Akinyele abattoirs, only six goats and sheep (13.3%) and four goats (8.9%) yielded the expected 350 bp DNA band, respectively. Table II. Description of the samples that tested positive for PPRV by RT-PCR. Location Species Breed Sex Age Sample type collected Clinical signs observed RT- PCR result Amosun Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen Nasal discharge, matted eyelid + ve Amosun Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen Soiled hindquarters Nasal discharge + ve Amosun Abattoir Ovine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Amosun Abattoir Caprine WAD Female Adult Lung, spleen Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Amosun Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Amosun Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen Soiled hindquarters Nasal discharge + ve Akinyele Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen, mesenteric lymph node Nasal discharge, matted eyelid + ve Akinyele Abattoir Caprine WAD Female Adult Lung, spleen, mesenteric lymph node Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Akinyele Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen, mesenteric lymph node Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Akinyele Abattoir Caprine WAD Male Adult Lung, spleen, mesenteric lymph node Nasal and ocular discharges + ve Discussion The results of this investigation show a 7.4% prevalence of PPRV in Ibadan, Oyo State by RT-PCR. The low prevalence can be attributed to the sample size and the season of sample collection as most of the samples were collected between August and October. However, Wosu (1994) reported more cases of PPR in South-eastern Nigeria throughout the harmattan period (from December to January) compared to the rainy season with the highest rainfall occurring in April. The prevalence of PPRV in this study is however below the prevalence (27.3%) reported in Adamawa State by Ularamu et al. (2002). Further, in an earlier PPR survey in the Southern States of Nigeria by Obi and Ojeh (1989) using tissue homogenate with dot Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and standard indirect ELISA procedures, PPR prevalence rates of 86.8% Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Adeoye et al. 410 Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 affect the outcome of RT-PCR which is a limitation with studies conducted in developing countries. The detection of PPRV in goats and sheep in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria in this study can probably be attributed to the continuous transportation/ movement of sheep and goats for foraging or commercial purposes from the Northern savannah area of Nigeria or neighbouring Sahelian African countries which are dry, to the Southern forest zone of the country, which is wet. Nigeria remains a focal point of animal meat consumption in West Africa owing to her huge population. In order to satisfy the continually growing local need, there is increased influx of sheep and goats from nearby countries. The sale and transportation of animals and their products from one State to the other and from neighbouring countries into Nigeria may serve as a major route of transmission and spread of transboundary animal diseases including PPR. According to studies by Cattaneo et al. (1987) and Couacy-Hymann et al. (2002), it has been proposed that the PPRV N-gene is surplus in positive tissue samples. Therefore, aiming at the N-gene of PPRV for RT-PCR yields good outcome. It has been discovered that the N-gene is responsible for the coding of an inner structural protein. Since mRNAs of N-gene are copies of the virus, it is thus a conducive target for the development of a diagnostic PPR test, with very high sensitivity and specificity (George, 2002). Due to the clinical signs observed in the animals screened in this study and the detection of PPRV by RT-PCR technique, it can be concluded that the disease that affected the animals that were positive in this study was caused by PPRV. The data obtained from this investigation have thus provided relevant information on the current status and epidemiology of PPR virus in Nigeria, particularly in Ibadan, Oyo State. Limitation As at the time of compiling this report, the result of sequencing of the PPR amplicons from the samples that tested positive is yet to be received. The delay is due to changes in protocol associated with the recent Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. This would have aided the molecular characterization as well as helped to determine whether there are differences between circulating field strains and the locally available vaccine. Conclusions The results of this study showed a prevalence of 7.4% for PPR in goats and sheep in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria using RT-PCR detection method. and 81.6%, respectively were recorded. In addition, a prevalence of 51.2% was reported for samples examined in North-Central States of Nigeria using a set of primers specific for the F gene of PPRV (Luka et al., 2011). Previous studies in some African countries such as Morocco revealed PPR prevalence of 44.4% by RT-PCR and a greater prevalence of 80% in Sudan (Kwiatek et al., 2011). PPRV was also confirmed in 33.3% clinical samples tested in Algeria, with a group of primers appropriate for the F gene of the PPRV (De Nardi et al., 2012). In Northern and Eastern Tanzania, PPRV was reported in 29.6% and 31.1% of the goats examined, (Kgotiele et al., 2014). In Ethiopia, a prevalence of 46.4% has been reported (Alemu et al., 2019) while in India, a prevalence of 50% was recently reported in an endemic region using RT-PCR (Kerur et al., 2008). Variations in the prevalence of PPRV in the diverse locations reported above could be due to differences in sample size, season of sample collection, detection method used, type of sample(s) employed for PPR diagnosis, phase of infection and the gene targeted for RT-PCR procedure (Luka et al., 2012). Thus, the detection of PPRV in small ruminants in Ibadan, Oyo State poses a major risk to the neighbouring communities and States as there is a high chance of spread since the disease is transboundary in nature, and considering that these animals are often transported from one market to another and sometimes to farms. This could lead to further epidemics and serious economic impact on the nation. This current investigation revealed a significantly higher rate of PPR in goats compared with sheep using the RT-PCR technique. This finding is in tandem with that reported in Ethiopia by Alemu et al. (2019). Similarly, Abubakar et al. (2008) showed PPR cases in Pakistan to be more dangerous/virulent in goats compared to sheep. A greater occurrence of PPR was detected in goats when compared with sheep in a survey by Mahajan et al. (2013). In a study by Abraham et al. (2005) in Ethiopia, it was reported that the seeming non-existence of pathogenicity in sheep might be due to a specific resistance of the indigenous species and/or an absence of virulence seen with the Ethiopian PPRV strains for sheep. Also, epidemiological findings from this study revealed that the West African Dwarf breed of goats was more predisposed to PPR in comparison with other breeds. This observation is consistent with the position of FAO (1999), Baazizi et al. (2017) and Balogun et al. (2017). The absence of any positive results in the swab samples collected at the live small ruminant market could be due to the method of sample collection and the consideration that despite efforts to maintain cold chain, RNA viruses do not store well and this may Adeoye et al. Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 411 These findings confirm the presence of PPR virus within goat and sheep populations in Ibadan. These results show that PPR is still endemic and could be responsible for the intermittent outbreaks of pneumonia and diarrheal disease in small ruminants in Nigeria. Considering the interstate transportation of sheep and goats in Nigeria, this further indicates the potential risk of spread of PPR to regions where the disease is presently absent in the country. Statement of animal rights In conducting this study, all relevant institutional, national and/or international guidelines for the care and use of animals were duly followed (World Organization for Animal Health, 2009). Acknowledgement The authors acknowledge the technical assistance rendered by members of staff of the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), Vom, Nigeria during this project. Grant Support The African Union Commission and the Pan African University provided the grant support for this project. Molecular detection of PPR in Nigeria Adeoye et al. 412 Veterinaria Italiana 2022, 58 (4), 405-413. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.2558.15754.1 Radostits O.M., Blood D.C. & Gay C.C. 2000: In Veterinary Medicine (A textbook of the diseases of the cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and horses), 9 ed., W.B. Saunders, London, UK Banyard A., Parida S., Batten C., Oura C., Kwiatek O. & Libeau G. 2010. Global distribution of peste des petits ruminants virus and prospects for improved diagnosis and control. J. Gen. Virol. 91, 2885–2897. Banyard A., Wang Z. & Parida S. 2014. Peste des Petits Ruminants Virus, Eastern Asia. Emerg. Inf. Dis. 20, 2176–2177. F.A.O 2006: FAOSTAT database. Food and Agricultural Organisation, Rome, Italy. www.fao. org/.../ess/- publications studies/...yearbook/fao- statisticalyearbook- 2005-2006/en Shamaki D., Olaleye O.D., Obi T. U., Diallo A., Majiyagbe K.A., Lombin L.H. & Barrett T. 2004. Peste Des petits Ruminants (PPR) in Nigeria: Serological and Molecular Epidemiology. Vom J. Vet.Sci. 1: 18 – 27. Kazeem H.M., Shamaki D., Ibru J.O., Fasina F.O., Aba- Adulugba E.P., Bitrus Y., Owolodun O.A., Shuaibu S., Tyem A.D., Ogedengbe M.F., Antiabong J.F. & Lombin L.H. 2009. 2008 Field outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in sheep and goats from different geo-ecological zones of Nigeria. In 46th Annual Conference of Nig. Vet. Med. Ass. 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Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 83(1), a1163. Couacy-Hymann E., Roger F., Hurard C., Guillou J.P., Libeau G. & Diallo A. 2002. Rapid and sensitive 100, detection of peste des petits ruminants virus by a polymerase chain reaction assay. Journal of Virological Methods 100, 17–25. Wosu L.O. 1994. Current status of peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease in small ruminants. A review article’, Stud Res Vet Med 2, 83–90. 4. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study site and population Sample size determination Sampling technique Sample collection . Preparation of necropsy tissues Molecular detection of PPRV in goats and sheep Viral Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) extraction One-Step Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) 5. RESULTS 6. DISCUSSION TLimitation As at the time of compiling this report, the result of sequencing of the PPR amplicons from the samples that tested positive is yet to be received. The delay is due to changes in protocol associated with the recent Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic. This would have aided the molecular characterization as well as helped to determine whether there are differences between circulating field strains and the locally available vaccine. Conclusion The results of this study showed a prevalence of 7.4% for PPR in goats and sheep in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria using RT-PCR detection method. These findings confirm the presence of PPR virus within goat and sheep populations in Ibadan. These results show that PPR is still endemic and could be responsible for the intermittent outbreaks of pneumonia and diarrheal disease in small ruminants in Nigeria. Considering the interstate transportation of sheep and goats in Nigeria, this further indicates the potential risk of spread of PPR to regions where the disease is presently absent in the country. 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 10. GRANT SUPPORT 11. REFERENCES Adeoye et al. 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