EVALUATION OF SERUM BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS AND ACID-BASE BALANCE IN DIARRHEAL GOATS WITH PESTE DES PETITS RUMINANTS (PPR) TO PREDICT THE INFECTION AND DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE INTRAVENOUS FLUID FOR REHYDRATION USING CHEMOMETRICS

Abstract

Background: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a highly contagious and transboundary viral disease of goats, is caused by the Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV). There is no specific therapy for PPR, while the selection of appropriate fluid therapy can save lives associated with dehydration in diarrhoeal goats. Purpose: The goal is to determine the circulatory PPRV lineage, the biochemical and acid-base changes that circulatory PPRV causes, and to predict the right intravenous fluid for PPR management. Methods: Selected serum biochemical parameters and acid-base balance were evaluated in a case-control study using univariate and multivariate analytical techniques (chemometrics). The PPR case (n=80) was identified based on molecular detection of PPRV using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and genome sequencing. Additionally, the chemometrics approach was also adopted to test whether this method can differentiate between healthy and PPRV-infected goats. Results: Hypomagnesemia, hyponatremia, and hypchloremia were the most common elemental abnormalities identified, and their combined significant interaction with hypocalcaemia, hypopotassemia, hypoproteinaemia, and hypophosphatemia in PPRV-infected goats were found. Strong ion difference (SID) acidosis and total non-volatile buffer ion concentration in plasma (Atot) acidosis were acid-base disorders frequently encountered in sick goats. Results suggest that crystalloid solutions containing multiple electrolytes and effective SID would be the appropriate choice for PPRV therapeutics. Genome analysis of PPRV found all circulating viruses are under lineage IV, with evidence of several benign, uncommon point mutations in the fusion gene. The chemometrics methods were found to be useful for the differentiation of PPRV-infected goats from healthy goats (accuracy>90%). Conclusions: Virological and clinico-biochemical information would be useful for clinical diagnosis, treatment and epidemiological control of PPR in an endemic area.