Determination of border disease seroprevalence in Batman and its districts

This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of Border Disease in Batman and its districts (Kozluk, Sason, Beşiri, Gercüş, and Hasankeyf). The animal material for the study consisted of a total of 296 sheep, aged 2 to 6 years, that had experienced abortions. Blood samples of 10 ml were collected from the jugular veins of the sheep into anticoagulant-free tubes. The collected samples were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes to separate the sera. The ELISA method, used to determine the prevalence of the disease, revealed that 67 (22.64%) of the samples were seropositive. The highest positivity rates were observed in the 4th (30.4%), 5th (29.5%), 2nd (23.8%), and 3rd (16.7%) age groups, while the lowest prevalence (12.1%) was found in the 6th year group. Among the districts, the highest prevalence was observed in Sason (45%). In terms of sheep breeds, the highest seroprevalence was found in Akkaraman crosses (47.8%), followed by Akkaraman (37.3%) and Hamdani (14.9%) sheep. As a result of this study, it was determined that the Border Disease virus is present in the Batman province and its districts. To prevent the economic losses in the country's livestock sector, it is recommended to conduct periodic analyses to identify infected animals and remove them from the herd, eliminate predisposing factors that facilitate the spread of the disease, and send the animals found positive for the disease to slaughter to reduce the problems associated with this disease.