Sero-epidemiological survey and risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis among slaughtered cattle in Nigeria

Abstract

Bovine brucellosis is endemic in Nigeria; however, limited data exist on nationwide studies and risk factors associated with the disease. Using a cross-sectional sero-epidemiological survey, we determined the prevalence of and risk factors for brucellosis in slaughtered cattle in three geographical regions of Nigeria. Serum samples from randomly selected unvaccinated cattle slaughtered over a period of 3 years (between December 2010 and September 2013) from northern, southern and south-western Nigeria were tested for antibodies to Brucella abortus using the Rose Bengal test. Data associated with risk factors of brucellosis were analysed by Stata Version 12. In all, 8105 cattle were screened. An overall seroprevalence of 3.9% (315/8105) was recorded by the Rose Bengal test, with 3.8%, 3.4% and 4.0% from the northern, southern and south-western regions, respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that cattle screened in northern Nigeria were less likely to be seropositive for antibodies to Brucella spp. than those from south-western Nigeria (odds ratio = 0.94; 95% confidence interval: 0.73–1.22). However, logistic regression analysis revealed that breed ( p = 0.04) and sex ( p £ 0.0001) of cattle were statistically significant for seropositivity to Brucella spp. The study found that brucellosis was endemic at a low prevalence among slaughtered cattle in Nigeria, with sex and breed of cattle being significant risk factors. Considering the public health implications of brucellosis, we advocate coordinated surveillance for the disease among diverse cattle populations in Nigeria, as is carried out in most developed countries.

Sero-prevalence and intrinsic factors associated with Brucella infection in food animals slaughtered at abattoirs in Abuja, Nigeria

“…The only factor associated with Brucella infection in food animals observed in this study was that related to the breed of the animals especially in goats probably due to genetic variation which is an important factor in conferring resistance or tolerance to certain types to diseases [ 17 ]. This finding is in contrast to the reports of Mai et al that brucellosis in animals is not breed specific [ 15 ].…”

“…Predisposing factors reported by other studies for seropositivity to Brucella infection in cattle are breed and sex of animals [ 17 ]. Other studies reported that sex of the animals was a risk factor for seropositivity to Brucella infection [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…Assessment of the prevalence of Brucella infection in food animals at abattoirs in some parts of Nigeria has been reported by very few researchers [ 17 ]. However in FCT, Abuja there is the paucity of data on the prevalence of Brucella infection and associated factors in food animals slaughtered at the abattoirs.…”

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Brucellosis among Indigenous Cattle in the Adamawa and North Regions of Cameroon

“…Brucellosis in cattle is usually caused by B. abortus , in sheep and goats by B. melitensis , and in swine by B. suis [ 2 ]. However, bovine brucellosis has occasionally been caused by Brucella melitensis and Brucella suis in some instances where mixed farming is practiced [ 2 , 3 ], characterized by late term abortion, infertility, and reduced milk production [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]. Human brucellosis is mainly associated with B. abortus , B. melitensis , and B. suis [ 2 ].…”

“…Lack of public awareness and poor or low income communities have been largely associated with the neglect of the disease [ 13 ]. The persistence and wide prevalence ranges of bovine brucellosis in sub-Sahara Africa are influenced by several factors associated with disease transmission between herds, factors influencing the maintenance and spread of infection within herds, purchase of infected cattle from livestock market for replacement or upgrading, nature of the animal production system, demographic factors, regulatory issues, climate, deforestation, and wildlife interaction [ 3 , 7 , 14 , 15 ]. Although poorly implemented, the control of major zoonoses in Cameroon is mainly through the regulation of animal movement and postmortem examination of carcasses [ 12 ] such that appropriate preventive measures and planning of effective control programs cannot be achieved.…”