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A study on seroprevalence of caprine brucellosis under three livestock production systems in southern and central Ethiopia

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Abstract

Caprine brucellosis in Ethiopia is less commonly reported with limited information on the disease status in the country. The objective of this study was therefore to highlight the status of goat brucellosis in three distinctly different livestock production systems of southern and central Ethiopia. A total 3,315 goats of different age and sex, living with other animals in variable flock size, were sampled from 448 flocks raised in sedentary, pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems. Goats were bled aseptically and sera were collected for serial testing using Rose Bengal Plate Test as screening test and subsequently complement fixation test as confirmatory test. Questionnaire and laboratory data were analysed for descriptive, univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis both at individual and flock level (STATA 11). The study revealed an overall animal level seroprevalence of 1.9 % (95 % CI 1.5, 2.4). In sedentary production system, the observed seroprevalence was 0.6 % (95 % CI 0.2, 0.9) while 1.9 % (95 % CI 1.1, 2.7) and 7.6 % (95 % CI 5.1, 10.1) were the proportion of seroreactors for agro-pastoral and pastoral production systems, respectively. The observed prevalence difference between the three production systems was statistically significant (P < 0.05). At the flock level analysis, 11.2 % (95 % CI 8.2, 14.1) of the flocks sampled had at least one seropositive goat among themselves. Like individual level analysis, the highest prevalence of 32.5 % (95 % CI 21.9, 43.0) was recorded for pastoral production system, followed by agro-pastoral, 13.0 % (95 % CI 7.0, 19.0) and sedentary production system, 3.6 % (95% CI 1.3, 6.0). Accordingly, the odds of Brucella seropositivity were higher (OR = 12.8) in pastoral followed by agro-pastoral (OR = 4.0) in relation to sedentary production system. Large numbers of seroreactors were observed in adult age living in larger flocks with other livestock species. However, no difference was noted between male and female goats. Finally, the need for nationwide survey and subsequent designing and implementation of appropriate control measure is suggested.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Hawassa University Research, Publication and Extension office for financing the research partially and National Veterinary Institute, Debrezeit for the technical assistance in the laboratory works.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Veterinary Medicine, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia

    Kassahun Asmare, Bekele Megersa, Yifat Denbarga, Anley Taye, Jemere Bekele & Abebe Agonafir

  2. Hawassa College of Agriculture, Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Hawassa University, P.O. Box 05, Hawassa, Ethiopia

    Girma Abebe

  3. Oromia Pastoral Commission, P.O. Box 20120, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Tesfaye Bekele

  4. National Veterinary Institute, P.O. Box 19, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia

    Esayas Gelaye & Gelagay Ayelet

  5. Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Science, Ambo University, P.O. Box 19, Ambo, Ethiopia

    Endrias Zewdu

  6. Department of Food Safety and Infection Biology, Center for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, P.O. Box 8146, 0033, Oslo, Norway

    Kassahun Asmare & Eystein Skjerve

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  1. Kassahun Asmare
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  2. Bekele Megersa
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  4. Girma Abebe
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  9. Endrias Zewdu
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  11. Gelagay Ayelet
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  12. Eystein Skjerve
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Correspondence to Kassahun Asmare.

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Asmare, K., Megersa, B., Denbarga, Y. et al. A study on seroprevalence of caprine brucellosis under three livestock production systems in southern and central Ethiopia. Trop Anim Health Prod 45, 555–560 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-012-0258-2

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