Seroepidemiological Analysis of Brucellosis in Goat and Household Animal Keepers of District Swat

Abstract

B RUCELLOSIS is a chronic bacterial infection that can infect a variety of animal species and humans. The disease has been studied in many parts of the world including Pakistan, however, caprine brucellosis has not been well reported and very few studies are published at the national level. This study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in goat and household animal keepers of district Swat Pakistan. A total of 235 blood samples were collected from goats and 53 blood samples from animal keepers following the standard protocols. All the serum samples were analyzed by the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Serum Plate Agglutination Test (SPAT) for the detection of anti-brucella antibodies. All the goat serum samples were also subjected to Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the comparison of two commonly used serological tests. The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis in the goat population of district Swat was recorded as 13.61% and 16.17% while in the human population it was recorded as 3.77% and 5.66% by RBPT and SPAT respectively. A significant correlation was found between abortion and seropositivity of brucellosis in goats with a p˂0.05. By comparing RBPT and SPAT considering ELISA as a gold standard, the SPAT test showed a greater sensitivity than RBPT recorded as 82% and 80 % by SPAT and RBPT respectively. It is concluded that brucellosis is prevailing in both the goat as well as in animal keepers of district Swat. Screening of animals and awareness of the general population through mass media is recommended.

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