Aim: Bluetongue is a non-contagious, infectious viral disease of domestic
and wild ruminants; which is believed to have originated in Africa. The
epidemiology of Bluetongue virus infection is poorly defined in many parts of
the world, including a wide range of Asia and the Middle East. This paper
reports the results of a Bluetongue serological survey in sheep from some
provinces of Iran during 2007-2008.
Materials and Methods: A total of 996
sheep sera were collected from 8 provinces in Iran and tested for Bluetongue
virus specific using c-ELISA. Results: The results showed that the Bluetongue
virus seroprevalence of sheep over the entire study areas was 34.93%, with the
highest and lowest prevalence seen in West-Azerbaijan (64.86%) and Qom (12.1%)
areas respectively.
Conclusion: The results demonstrated a high
prevalence of Bluetongue antibodies in Iranian sheep, giving serological
evidence of extensive exposure to Bluetongue virus infection in some provinces
of the country. Keywords: antibodies, bluetongue virus, c-ELISA, Iran,
seroprevalence
