Epizootic situation regarding lumpy skin disease worldwide and in Ukraine from 2013 to 2024
Abstract
Monitoring studies of biomaterials from Ukraine's central, northern, southern, western, and eastern regions were co n ducted. These studies included serological analyses of cattle blood serum using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine immunity levels to the lumpy skin disease virus, as well as molecular genetic tests using the polym e rase chain reaction (PCR) to detect the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) in arthropod collections. Testing 1,800 blood serum samples from cattle using ELISA for antibodies to the causative agent of nodular dermatitis yielded negative results for all samples. PCR testing of 1,125 arthropod pools ( Culicidae spp., Culicoides spp., Muscidae spp., Oestridae spp., and Ixodidae spp.) revealed no LSDV genetic material. These results indicate that LSDV did not circulate in Ukraine from 2013 to 2024. Ukraine is located in a high-risk zone, making it necessary to enhance the effectiveness of veterinary measures for preven t ing and controlling nodular dermatitis. The main danger lies in the vector (insect) and cross-border transmission of the virus from the northeastern, Caucasian, and Balkan regions, where the disease is endemic or has been reported periodically. The latest 89 WOAH reports on lumpy skin disease registrations were reviewed. Notably, 48 reports (53.9%) came from Asian countries, nine (10.1%) from African countries, six (6.8%) from Eurasian countries, and 26 (29.2%) from European cou n tries. According to the WOAH, 4,853 outbreaks of the disease were reported during the specified timeframe. The total nu m ber of outbreaks was 292 in 2013 (6.0%), 98 in 2014 (2.0%), 9 in 2015 (0.1%), 649 in 2016 (13.4%), 806 in 2017 (16.6%), 813 in 2018 (16.8%), 68 in 2019 (1.4%), 90 in 2020 (1.9%), 23 in 2021 (0.5%), 388 in 2022 (8.0%), 748 in 2023 (15.4%), and 869 in 2024 (17.9%). Over 12 years, a total of 4,903,337 susceptible animals were recorded. Of these, 88.3% were from Asia, 0.4% were from Africa, 6.0% were from Eurasia, and 5.3% were from Europe. During this period, there were 574,741 cases of the disease, 543,564 of which (94.5%) occurred in Asia. The remaining cases occurred in Africa – 1,360 (0.2%), Eurasia – 4,538 (0.8%), and Europe – 25,279 (4.5%). The total number of lethal cases in animals was 52,852, 50,563 (95.6%) of which were in Asia, 77 (0.1%) in Africa, 372 (0.8%) in Eurasia, and 1,840 (3.5%) in Europe. Lumpy skin di s ease in cattle is spreading rapidly around the world and poses a potential threat to our country. Because there is no specific treatment, it is crucial to implement preventive measures, as well as monitoring and early detection and prompt quarantine measures, to maintain the stability of livestock farming and food security in the country.References
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