High seroprevalence of bluetongue virus antibodies in goats in southeast Iran

ABSTRACTObjectiveTo describe the seroprevalence rate of bluetongue virus (BTV) in goat flocks in southeast of Iran.MethodsThe blood samples were collected randomly from herds of southeast of Iran. A total of 93 sera samples were collected between 2011 and 2012. Antibodies to BTV in sera were detected by using a commercial competitive ELISA 3 according to manufacturer's instructions.ResultsThe seroprevalence rates were 67.7% for goats. Within a herd, prevalence of BTV seropositive animals ranged from 33.3% to 100.0%. All goat flocks were positive to BTV antibodies.ConclusionsThis study describes a high seroprevalence rate of BTV in goat flocks in southeast of Iran for the first time.