Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology

Contagious ecthyma is a zoonotic disease of small ruminants caused by orf virus (ORFV). This study characterised ORFV antibody seropositivity in 200 clinically affected animals from Burdur, Türkiye: 50 sheep, 50 goats, 50 lambs, and 50 kids. ORFV-specific IgM was assessed in lambs and kids, whereas ORFV-specific IgG was assessed in sheep and goats using qualitative ELISA. Seropositivity was examined by age, sex, and breed using Fisher's exact test for 2 x 2 comparisons and Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact tests for larger contingency tables. Group-specific seropositivity was 28% (14/50) in lambs, 16% (8/50) in kids, 16% (8/50) in sheep, and 20% (10/50) in goats; the aggregate proportion across the clinically selected sample was 20% (40/200). In lambs, IgM seropositivity differed by age (p = 0.021), sex (p = 0.004), and breed (p = 0.011). In kids, breed differences were significant (p < 0.001), whereas age (p = 0.222) and sex (p = 0.247) were not. Among adults, age and sex were not significantly associated with IgG seropositivity in sheep or goats; sheep breed was also not significant (p = 0.222), while goat breed showed an exploratory association (p = 0.045). Overall lamb-kid and sheep-goat comparisons were not significant. These findings describe antibody patterns within a symptomatic clinical sample and should not be interpreted as population prevalence or aetiological confirmation of current lesions. ELISA can support serological assessment, while molecular detection is required for direct confirmation of ORFV.