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Peste des petits ruminants

What is peste des petits ruminants?

Peste des petits ruminants, also known as "goat plague," is a viral disease of sheep and goats characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, diarrhea, pneumonia, and death. Sheep and goats are the only natural hosts of the disease. Goats are usually more severely affected by the disease than sheep. Deer, gazelle and ibex may also be affected. Pigs and cattle can be infected with the virus, but do not show clinical signs and are unable to transmit the disease to other animals. The PPR virus is closely related to the virus that causes rinderpest.

Do we have this disease in Canada?

No. Peste des petits ruminants is not present in Canada. It occurs in Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, and India.

Is there a public health risk associated with this disease?

Humans are not affected by the virus.

How is peste des petits ruminants transmitted and spread?

Peste des petits ruminants is not highly contagious; transmission requires very close contact between animals. Sources of the virus include tears, nasal discharge, secretions from coughing, and feces from infected animals. Infection occurs mainly through inhalation of fine droplets that are released into the air when affected animals cough and sneeze. Although close contact is the most likely mode of transmission, it is suspected that water, feed troughs, and bedding can also be contaminated with secretions and become additional sources of infection.

What are the clinical signs of this disease?

The disease usually has a sudden onset with fever, severe depression, loss of appetite, and clear nasal discharge. As the disease progresses a thick, yellow nasal discharge develops, often becoming so profuse that it forms a crust that blocks the nostrils and causes respiratory distress. The eyes also become infected, causing eyelids to mat together with discharge. Tissues in the mouth swell and ulcers form on the lower gums, dental pad, hard palate, cheeks and tongue. Severe diarrhea develop, resulting in dehydration and severe weight loss. Pneumonia is common in later stages. Pregnant animals may abort. The prognosis of peste des petits ruminants is poor—death can occur three to eight days of the onset of fever. Young animals are most severely affected.

How is this disease diagnosed?

Peste des petits ruminants may be suspected based on the clinical signs. Laboratory tests that detect the virus confirm diagnosis.

Are there any treatments?

There is no specific treatment for this disease.

What is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) role in preventing this disease from entering Canada?

Peste des petits ruminants is a reportable disease under the Health of Animals Act. This means that all suspected cases must be reported to the CFIA. All reported suspect cases are immediately investigated by inspectors from the Agency. The CFIA imposes strict regulations on the import of animals and animal products from countries where the disease is known to occur. These regulations are enforced through CFIA port-of-entry inspections.

Canada’s emergency response strategy in the event of an outbreak of a foreign animal disease is to eradicate the disease and re-establish the country’ s disease-free status as quickly as possible. In an effort to eradicate this disease, the CFIA would employ its "stamping out" policy, which would include:

• the humane destruction of all infected and exposed animals;
• surveillance and tracing of potentially infected or exposed animals;
• strict quarantine and animal movement controls;
• strict decontamination of infected premises;
• zoning to define infected and disease-free areas.

How to get more information?

Contact your Canadian Food Inspection Agency Area Office:

You can find your local Canadian Food Inspection Agency District Office on the CFIA Web site or by consulting the blue pages of your local phone directory.

September 2003
P0317E-03