Prevalência e fatores de risco associados à infecção pelo vírus da estomatite vesicular em equídeos no estado do rio grande do norte, Brasil

Abstract

Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral zoonotic disease that affects ruminants, equines, porcinis, some wild species and has clinical symptoms similar to those caused by the FMD virus. The vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has two serotypes New Jersey and Indiana, the latter being classified into three subtypes Indiana 1, Indiana 2 and Indiana 3. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of VSV and its potential risk factors for the occurrence and dissemination of disease in Equidae from the eastern and Western mesoregions of the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Blood samples were analyzed from 809 animals from 90 properties distributed in sixteen municipalities in the state from July 2018 to February 2019. The samples were obtained by venipuncture of the jugular with vacuum collection system, in tubes of the type Vacutainer® without anticoagulant. Packaged under refrigeration in a thermal box and transported to the Ruminant Laboratory of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco for centrifugation at 3,000 rpm for 10 minutes and obtaining serum aliquots, which were stored in Eppendorf® tubes at -20ºC until diagnostic processing. by seroneutralization. Risk factors were assessed using an investigative epidemiological questionnaire. The data were submitted to statistical analysis in the EpiInfo 3.5.2 program with a 95% confidence level. The occurrence of anti-VSV antibodies was 24.6% (199/809), with 3.2% (13/402) seropositive in the eastern mesoregion and 45.7% (186/407) in the western region. Considering the serotypes, there was a prevalence of 3.8% (31/809) for Indiana 2 and 24.5% (198/809) for Indiana 3. All statistically significant variables were subjected to multivariate logistic regression analysis and it was concluded that animals raised in rural areas of the western mesoregion, in extensive and semi-intensive systems, whose pasture is flooded, does not quarantine, does not disinfect the facilities, are raised in a communal way with small ruminants and pigs, and where the animals sick are kept in the herd, risk factors for infection by VSV-IN subtypes 1 and 2 were considered. These results demonstrate that VSV is distributed across the state of Rio Grande do Norte and control measures must be adopted to prevent its spread.