Lumpy Skin Disease Virus: Molecular Detection and Outbreak Investigation among Cattle in Gursum District of Somali Regional State, Ethiopia

Background and Objective: In August 2020, a lumpy skin disease outbreak affected cattle in the Gursum District of the Ethiopian Somali Regional State. According to the report from districts’ animal health professionals and officers, the outbreak killed several cattle and endangered many more. Thus, this study was designed to conduct both an epidemiological assessment and molecular diagnosis of the suspected LSD outbreak in the Gursum District. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Gursum District from September, 2020 to February, 2021, for epidemiological assessment and molecular diagnosis of the suspected LSD outbreak. Twelve skin-scraped nodule samples were purposively collected from clinically diseased cattle and sixty animal owners were interviewed in six kebeles. Virus isolation was performed on Vero cell lines and molecular detection was performed on classical Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to confirm the LSD virus. In addition, the Chi-square (χ²) test and frequency measurements were used for analyzing and presenting the epidemiological data interviewed from animal owners. Results: All samples showed the LSD virus’s cytopathic effects. The PCR detected the LSD viral DNA and confirmed the cause of the suspected LSD outbreak. According to the epidemiological investigation and questionnaire survey from respondents, the disease had an overall mortality and morbidity rate of 12.52% (74/591) and 33.67% (199/591), respectively. Furthermore, on Chi-square analysis; the age of cattle, season and contact at the communal point were statistically significant (p<0.05) indicating the major factors for the outbreak occurrence of the disease. The findings of molecular analysis confirmed that the outbreak was caused by LSD virus and epidemiological factors worsened the disease. Conclusion: Thus, regular vaccination of cattle at trafficking areas, communal points and watering areas should be carried out to reduce the disease.