Factors contributing to the maintenance of epizootic problems with brucellosis in the Russian Federation

Abstract

The scientific article presents generalized results of laboratory studies on brucellosis of animals in order to study the epizootic situation and identify the main causes of epizootic outbreaks in Russia for the period from 2019 to 2021. The data source is the materials of annual reports submitted by the state veterinary laboratories of the subjects of the Russian Federation on the reporting form 4-vet, other official statistical data of the veterinary and medical services of the country. In the Russian Federation, new epizootic foci of brucellosis are detected annually. Different animal populations (cattle, small cattle, pigs, reindeer, dogs) are involved in the epizootic process of brucellosis. So, for the period from 2010 to 2020, 4,283 unfavorable points for brucellosis of cattle were identified in the country, 398 for brucellosis of small cattle, which contained 95 979 and 15 880 heads of sick animals, respectively. According to the results of laboratory diagnostics of brucellosis of animals by bacteriological methods performed by state veterinary laboratories of the subjects of the Russian Federation for the period from 2019 to 2021, the culture of the causative agent of the disease was isolated in 44 cases. When conducting mass lifetime studies by serological methods, animals that respond positively to brucellosis are detected annually, from 7920 to 13 059 individuals. The main causes of epizootic outbreaks of brucellosis of animals: incomplete and untimely identification of sick individuals; violation of the deadline for slaughtering positively reacting to brucellosis and sick animals (overexposure in the farm); non-compliance by business entities with the requirements of Veterinary rules on brucellosis of animals; concealment by animal owners from the state veterinary service of the true number of livestock, which does not allow to cover all animals specific vaccination and diagnostic tests. It can be concluded that the epizootic situation of brucellosis remains quite tense on the territory of the Russian Federation. Untimely and incomplete detection of the causative agent of the disease is the cause of infection of animals and causes a long course in disadvantaged areas.