Prevalence Status of Antibodies of Japanese Encephalitis in Pigs in Peri-Urban Area of Chennai

ABSTRACT

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito borne viral zoonotic disease caused by the Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) of Flaviviridae family and it is one of the leading causes of acute encephalitis syndrome in Asian countries. This study was conducted between November 2018 and February 2019 to understand the dynamic status of sero-prevalence of Japanese encephalitis in pigs in peri-urban areas of Chennai using indirect ELISA. A total of 241 sera samples of pigs was collected from peri-urban areas of Chennai and subjected to indirect IgG capture commercial ELISA kit for screening for JEV antibodies. The overall prevalence of JEV antibodies was found as 35.48% which showed the circulation of JEV antibodies in swine population in peri-urban areas of Chennai indicating that pigs still act as amplifier hosts for vectors for the transmission of the disease in Peri-urban areas of Chennai