The priority areas of the activities of the State Veterinary Service are maintaining the animal disease freedom of the region, ensuring the production of veterinary-safe animal products and protecting people from diseases shared between humans and animals.
The data on the animal and bird infectious disease situation in Dagestan Republic for the period under study are presented in Table 1.
It was found that a total of 114 quarantinable animal infectious disease infected localities were reported in the region in 2023, of which 60 were for brucellosis in cattle and small ruminants, 35 for bovine leukosis, 10 for rabies in domestic and wild animals, 4 for enterotoxemia in sheep, 2 for pasteurellosis, 2 for bradsot and 1 for blackleg.
The following diseases have the largest share in the nosological profile of quarantinable infectious diseases (Fig.) based on the number of detected infected localities during the period under study: brucellosis (52.63%), bovine leukosis (30.70%), rabies (8.77%), enterotoxemia (3.51%), pasteurellosis (1.75%), bradsot (1.75%) and blackleg (0.88%). In total, 1,812 animals became diseased in 114 localities infected with quarantinable infections.
Over the past year, quarantinable infections were most often reported in cattle (in 69.59% of cases) and small ruminants (29.36%); in 1.05% of cases, the diseases affected horses, cats, wild animals and birds (Table 2).
Table 1
Data on animal and bird contagious diseases reported in Dagestan Republic in 2023
| Disease | Species | During the reporting period | Ongoing as of the endof the reporting period | ||||
| numberof detected infected localities | outbreaks | total number of infected localities | total numberof outbreaks | ||||
| number of detected outbreaks | number of diseased animals/birds | number of dead animals/birds | |||||
| Brucellosis | cattle | 48 | 117 | 1,236 | – | 71 | 252 |
| small ruminants | 12 | 13 | 500 | – | 9 | 10 | |
| horses | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | |
| Leukosis | cattle | 35 | 110 | 18 | – | 96 | 214 |
| Rabies | cattle | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| cats | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | |
| wild animals | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | |
| Pasteurellosis | cattle | – | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | 1 |
| small ruminants | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | – | – | |
| Blackleg | cattle | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bradsot | small ruminants | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | – | – |
| Enterotoxemia | small ruminants | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | – | – |
| Dysentery | small ruminants | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Epididymitis | small ruminants | – | – | 15 | – | 6 | 6 |
| Dourine | horses | – | 5 | 7 | – | – | 5 |
| Avian influenza | birds | – | 1 | 5 | 5 | – | – |
| Total | – | 114 | 269 | 1,812 | 35 | 183 | 489 |
Fig. Nosological profile of quarantinable infectious diseases in Dagestan Republic in 2023
Table 2
Quarantinable infection occurrence in animals and number of infected localities in Dagestan Republic in 2023
| Species | Infected localities | Diseased animals/birds | ||
| abs. number | % | abs. number | % | |
| Cattle | 88 | 77.19 | 1,261 | 69.59 |
| Small ruminants | 20 | 17.54 | 532 | 29.36 |
| Horses | – | – | 8 | 0.44 |
| Cats | 3 | 2.63 | 3 | 0.17 |
| Wild animals | 3 | 2.63 | 3 | 0.17 |
| Birds | – | – | 5 | 0.28 |
| Total | 114 | 1,812 |
During the monitoring period, 35 animals died of infectious diseases in Dagestan Republic; in particular, 28.57% of domestic and wild animals died of rabies, 20.0% of cattle and small ruminants died of pasteurellosis, 20.0% of sheep died of enterotoxemia, 11.43% of sheep died of bradsot; 14.29% of birds died of influenza, 2.86% of cattle died of blackleg, and 2.86% of sheep died of dysentery.
For many years, Dagestan has been a region where brucellosis persists in cattle and small ruminants [
One of the most common infectious diseases causing significant economic damage is viral leukosis, which has been reported in dairy cows and young animals in the majority of municipal entities of Dagestan Republic for many years [16-18]. To detect the disease, a serological method such as agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test is used. In 2023, the Veterinary Service of the region conducted AGID tests of 1,104.244 thousand cattle; 2,778 animals (0.25% of the tested cattle) were found to be the virus carriers. It was established that in 25 rural areas, municipalities and transhumance zones, leukemia virus occurrence in animals was moderate (from 0.01 to 9.2%). Hematological tests detected 18 leukosis affected animals. During the period under study, 35 new leukosis infected localities were identified; the association of bovine leukosis with specific territories, namely the farms of the Babayurtovsky, Kizlyarsky, Kizilyurtovsky, Kumtorkalinsky, Tarumovsky raions and the city of Makhachkala, was noted. The implementation of measures provided for by the subprogramme “Prevention and eradication of bovine leukosis in the holdings of Dagestan Republic” of the governmental programme of Dagestan Republic “Development of agriculture and regulation of agricultural product, raw material and food markets”4 made it possible to eradicate the infection on many farms.
Dagestan remains a rabies infected region [
Over the past year, 2 bradsot outbreaks were detected in the Republic, in which 4 sheep became diseased and died. Bradsot is an acute, often fulminant toxicoinfection of sheep and goats, which is characterized by sudden death of animals. In some cases, severe seizures, nervous manifestations are observed, and animals die within a few hours. A characteristic sign that provides grounds for bradsot suspicion is the hemorrhagic inflammation of the abomasum, which is detected by necropsy. In order to prevent bradsot, 872.144 thousand sheep were immunized on the farms of Dagestan.
In February 2023, high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak was detected in the area of a natural body of water located 1 km northeast of the settlement of Solnechnoye (Khasavyurtovsky raion), where 5 swans became diseased and died. The diagnosis was confirmed by laboratory tests, and restrictive measures (quarantine) were imposed. Subsequently, no new death cases were reported in synanthropic, wild birds and poultry. In order to control the HPAI situation, 5 wild birds and 8,410 poultry were examined, 36,608 poultry were vaccinated against high pathogenicity avian influenza.
As for other quarantinable infectious diseases such as pasteurellosis, blackleg, enterotoxemia, dysentery, ovine epididymitis and dourine, single cases were reported, and the measures taken made it possible to contain the diseases and prevent economic damage.
In order to maintain animal disease freedom and sustainable growth of livestock production, the Veterinary Committee of Dagestan Republic annually implements measures to prevent the occurrence and spread of 75 diseases of animals and birds, including 10 highly dangerous ones.
Anti-epizootic measures taken in the past year included a total of 93.8 million vaccinations and 6.2 million tests performed in the diagnostic institutions. Plans for the prevention of highly dangerous and other contagious diseases of animals and birds were fully implemented.