Serological evidence for the susceptibility of the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibiusLinnaeus) to natural infection with rinderpest virus

Abstract

A survey of rinderpest-neutralizing antibody was carried out on the sera of 315 hippopotamuses which were shot in the Queen Elizabeth Park, Uganda. No serological positives were found in animals aged 11 years or less but about 4% were detected in the age class 13–25 years. In the 28–41 years age class the proportion of positives rose to about 36%. All except one of the positive sera were titrated, the figures obtained being comparable to those in other recently infected species of wild ungulates.It was concluded that the heat-stable antibody in hippopotamuses resulted from inapparent infections with rinderpest virus during epizootics which passed through the areas of Lake George and Lake Albert in the years 1920/21, 1931/33 and 1944/45. No record was available of clinically recognizable rinderpest in the hippopotamus population but deaths due to other causes were mentioned briefly.Comment was made on the stability of rinderpest-neutralizing antibody over periods of about 30 years.One of us (R. M. L) is grateful to the Nuffield Foundation for financial support. Thanks are due to Drs S. S. Stone and W. P. Heuschele (Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture) for their assistance in organizing the collection of serum samples.This paper is published by permission of Mr H. R. Binns, C.M.G., O.B.E., Director, E.A.V.R.O.