Rinderpest antibody detected in sheep and goats before an outbreak of rinderpest reported in cattle in northern Tanzania.

In January 1997, serum samples from 1346 adult sheep and goats were tested by a competitive ELISA to determine the prevalence of rinderpest in the northern zone of Tanzania. Seroconversion rates of 20%, 13%, 9%, 7% and 3% in sheep and goats were recorded in Ngorongoro, Monduli, Hai, Arumeru and Simanjiro districts, respectively. The low profile and insidious nature of the rinderpest virus involved caused very mild disease in cattle in some of these area. The mild signs associated with this outbreak of rinderpest resulted in difficulty in its diagnosis. In these circumstances, the presence of rinderpest antibody in sheep and goats served as a valuable and effective indicator of the rinderpest outbreak in cattle.