Report on combined outbreak of Bluetongue and Sheep pox in Sivagangai district

Bluetongue (BT) is one of the viral diseases of ruminants and wild life and is an important economic disease of sheep in India. The disease is distrib uted world -wide and is wide spread in India (Sapre, 1964; Mehrotra, 1991; Wilson et al., 1994). Sheep pox is yet another viral disease affecting the pastoral industry. The disease is widely prevalent in different parts of In dia (Krishnan, 1968, Vegad and Sharma, 1973; Singh, 1985). In Tamilnadu the disease Bluetongue was first recorded by Janakiraman et al . (1991). The disease is more pronounced during the monsoon seasons when th e culicoides species of mosquitoes are more which is responsible for transm ission of BT. Bluetongue and Sheep pox were recorded both in Indian as well as exotic bre eds of sheep but not as simultanesous infections, However, concurrent repor ts of outbreak of Peste des petitis ruminants, Rinderpest, Foot and Mouth d isease were noted along with BT (Mehrotra, 1997). The present study envisages to identify the reasons for the concurrent infe ction of Bluetongue with Sheep pox which occurred in many places of South T aminadu and first noted probably during 1997-98 and also during 1999. The i ndigenous breeds of sheep were seen to be affected more. The concurrent infection of Sheep pox with Bluetongue was probably not repo rted before in Tamilnadu though concurrent infection of Bluetongue with Rin derpest, Peste des petitis ruminants, Foot and Mouth Disease were reported with heavy morbidity and mortality rates.