Prevalence of African Horse Sickness Virus Antibodies in Horses and Selected Wildlife in Four Geographical Regions of Nigeria

C N Chinyere^{1

2

3}, A C Ajaebili^{2

4}, I K Peter-Ajuzie^{2

4

5}, H B Galadima^{2

6}, O B Daodu⁷, O I Fatola⁴, C C Okolo⁸, B A Alaba⁹, O O Akinniyi⁹, D O Omoniwa¹⁰, E R Edeh¹⁰, A B Olorunfemi^{11

12}, T A Olayinka^{11

12}, O Ojurongbe^{11

12}, D O Oluwayelu^{1

2}, A B Muhammad¹³, M B Abubakar¹⁴, C A Meseko³, A N Happi¹⁵, C T Happi¹⁵, A S Bakarey¹⁶, M H Groschup¹⁷, J O Olopade^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
² Humboldt Research Hub for Zoonotic Arboviral Diseases, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
³ Regional Centre for Animal Influenza and Other Transboundary Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria.
⁷ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Department of Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiology, University of Jos, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria.
¹¹ Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹² Humboldt Research Hub-Centre for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹³ BlueBlood Veterinary Clinic, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.
¹⁴ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria.
¹⁵ African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun, Nigeria.
¹⁶ Institute of Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹⁷ Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Insel Riems, Germany.

PMID: 40893456
PMCID: PMC12393928
DOI: 10.1155/vmi/4106678

Prevalence of African Horse Sickness Virus Antibodies in Horses and Selected Wildlife in Four Geographical Regions of Nigeria

C N Chinyere et al. Vet Med Int. 2025.

. 2025 Aug 21:2025:4106678.

doi: 10.1155/vmi/4106678. eCollection 2025.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
² Humboldt Research Hub for Zoonotic Arboviral Diseases, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
³ Regional Centre for Animal Influenza and Other Transboundary Animal Diseases, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
⁶ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria.
⁷ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara, Nigeria.
⁸ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Department of Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Radiology, University of Jos, Jos, Plateau, Nigeria.
¹¹ Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹² Humboldt Research Hub-Centre for Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹³ BlueBlood Veterinary Clinic, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.
¹⁴ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno, Nigeria.
¹⁵ African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases, Redeemer's University, Ede, Osun, Nigeria.
¹⁶ Institute of Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria.
¹⁷ Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Insel Riems, Germany.

PMID: 40893456
PMCID: PMC12393928
DOI: 10.1155/vmi/4106678

Abstract

African horse sickness (AHS) is a severe, infectious arthropod-borne disease of equids caused by the AHS virus (AHSV). It is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa, and several sporadic outbreaks of the disease have been reported in Nigeria in the past 5 decades. Following a recent outbreak of the disease in Lagos State, this study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of (AHSV) antibodies in apparently healthy horses and some selected wildlife sampled in four geographical regions of Nigeria. Using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, 575 serum samples collected from horses in five locations, namely Abuja (n = 220), Enugu (n = 69), Oyo (n = 64), Plateau (n = 145) and Yobe (n = 77), were screened for anti-AHSV antibodies. In addition, we screened 134 wildlife, consisting of rodents, bats, and birds. The results obtained revealed an overall seroprevalence rate of 89.9% (n = 517) in horses, with the highest (100%) and lowest (75%) recorded in Enugu State, southeastern Nigeria, and Oyo State, southwestern Nigeria, respectively. There was a 0% prevalence amongst the wildlife examined. This high seroprevalence rate in horses shows that AHS is widespread among the horse population in different regions of Nigeria, suggesting significant exposure to the virus. In addition, the high AHS seroprevalence suggests endemicity of the disease in Nigeria, which could be attributed to Culicoides vector activities. Although we could not distinguish between antibodies due to natural infection and those induced by vaccination, our findings emphasize the need for continuous surveillance of AHS in horses in Nigeria to track the possible evolution of the virus in the country and aid the formulation of effective prevention and control strategies against the disease.

Keywords: African horse sickness; Nigeria; antibodies; equine; wildlife.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Map of Nigeria, showing locations of sample collection.

**Figure 2**
Geographical distribution of AHSV IgG among horses across regions in Nigeria.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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Prevalence of African Horse Sickness Virus Antibodies in Horses and Selected Wildlife in Four Geographical Regions of Nigeria

Affiliations

Prevalence of African Horse Sickness Virus Antibodies in Horses and Selected Wildlife in Four Geographical Regions of Nigeria

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous