A REVIEW ON SERO-EPIDEMIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF BLUETONGUE VIRUS IN SMALL RUMINANTS WITH EMPHASES ON QUETTA BALOCHISTAN

Bluetongue is a disease of almost all animals particularly of domesticated and small ruminants such as goats and sheep. BT is caused by a virus known as Bluetongue virus which is a dsRNA virus and belongs to a genus Orbivirus and to a family Reoviridae, as it is transmitted by biting midges(culicoides) therefore it is insect borne disease. Bluetongue is disease of socioeconomic importance, as it has a great impact on trade at international level of livestock and its yields. In the previous era Bluetongue was only limited to the endemic areas between latitudes 40°N and 35°S; however, this traditional limit has been crossed now and bluetongue has extended to vast areas. Spread of the bluetongue disease is mainly due to the presence of specific vector in the area such as C. imicola, a significant vector of the virus in the “Old World”. Bluetongue in South Asia countries such as Iran, India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan, is endemic and has higher prevalence rates which are recently reported. This is a review which demonstrates selective information on this harmful disease including its diagnosis by different techniques, such as c-ELISA and Real-time PCR based genotypoing. Its causative agent, history, spread, routes of transmission and range of target host, pathogenesis and diagnosis of the disease. Key words: Bluetongue, Quetta, c-ELISA, Orbivirus, Pathogenisis