Abstract
While many studies investigate animal-related risk factors for disease, few have considered environmental or spatial risk factors in the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and brucellosis. In the Ruaha ecosystem of Tanzania, we investigated the role of household location as a predictor for infection with Mycobacterium bovis and exposure to Brucella in pastoralist and agropastoralist cattle herds in a typical African wildlife-livestock-human interface. ArcGIS was utilized to calculate Euclidian distances between households and the nearest river, village center, protected area, and other infected households, followed by multivariate logistic regression to assess the association between risk factors and herd-level bTB and Brucella outcomes. Global and local spatial clustering of bTB-infected and Brucella-exposed herds was explored using the Cuzick-Edward’s test and SaTScan spatial scan statistics. Households located farther from rivers and closer to village centers and herds belonging to agropastoralists were more likely to have bTB-positive cattle. Risk of Brucella exposure increased with proximity to protected areas. One spatial cluster of households with Brucella spp. seropositive cattle was identified. Spatial factors may be useful for assessing disease risk and for formulating intervention and control strategies for households that manage cattle in ecosystems characterized by seasonally limited resources and intense wildlife-livestock interfaces.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alvarez, J., Perez, A., Bezos, J., Marques, S., Grau, A., Saez, J. L., Minguez, O., de Juan, L. and Dominguez, L., 2012. Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of bovine tuberculosis diagnostic tests in naturally infected cattle herds using a Bayesian approach, Veterinary Microbiology, 155, 38-43
Cleaveland, S., Shaw, D.J., Mfinanga, S.G., Shirima, G., Kazwala, R.R., Eblate, E. and Sharp, M., 2007. Mycobacterium bovis in rural Tanzania: risk factors for infection in human and cattle populations, Tuberculosis (Edinb), 87, 30-43
Clifford, D.L., Kazwala, R.R., Sadiki, H., Roug, A., Muse, E.A., Coppolillo, P.C. and Mazet, J.A.K., 2013. Tuberculosis infection in wildlife from the Ruaha ecosystem Tanzania: implications for wildlife, domestic animals, and human health, Epidemiology and Infection, doi:10.1017/S0950268813000836
Coppolillo, P., 2000. The Landscape ecology of pastoral herding: Spatial analysis of land use and livestock production in East Africa, Human Ecology, 28, 527-560
Coppolillo, P., Clifford, D. L. and Mazet, J. A. K., 2008. The unintended consequences of development assistance: The case of Usangu in Tanzania, Research Brief 08-02-HALI. Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP). Available: http://glcrsp.ucdavis.edu/publications/?project=hali. Accessed February 4th, 2014.
Coppolillo, P., Clifford, D., Dickman, A., Masozera, M., Nguvava, M., Kazwala, R., Erickson, J. and Mazet, M., 2009. Landscape factors associated with livestock disease deaths in Idodi and Pawaga Divisions, Tanzania, Research Brief 09-01-HALI. Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program (GLCRP). Available: http://glcrsp.ucdavis.edu/publications/?project=hali. Accessed February 4th, 2014.
Courtenay, O., Reilly, L.A., Sweeney, F.P., Hibberd, V., Bryan, S., Ul-Hassan, A., Newman, C., Macdonald, D.W., Delahay, R.J., Wilson, G.J. and Wellington, E.M., 2006. Is Mycobacterium bovis in the environment important for the persistence of bovine tuberculosis? Biology Letters, 2, 460-462
Cuzick, J. and Edwards, R., 1990. Spatial clustering for inhomogeneous populations, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, 52, 73 -104
de la Rua-Domenech, R., Goodchild, A. T., Vordermeier, H. M., Hewinson, R. G., Christiansen, K. H. and Clifton-Hadley, R. S., 2006. Ante mortem diagnosis of tuberculosis in cattle: A review of the tuberculin tests, [gamma]-interferon assay and other ancillary diagnostic techniques, Research in Veterinary Science, 81, 190-210
De Vos, V., Bengis, R.G., Kriek, N.P., Michel, A., Keet, D.F., Raath, J.P. and Huchzermeyer, H.F., 2001. The epidemiology of tuberculosis in free-ranging African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 68, 119-130
Fine, A.E., Bolin, C.A., Gardiner, J.C. and Kaneene, J.B., 2011. A Study of the Persistence of Mycobacterium bovis in the environment under natural weather conditions in Michigan, USA, Veterinary Medicine International, 2011, 765430, doi:10.4061/2011/765430.
Godfroid, J., 2002. Brucellosis in wildlife, Revue Scientifique et Technique Office International des Epizooties, 21, 277-286
Godfroid, J., Nielsen, K. and Saegerman, C., 2010. Diagnosis of brucellosis in livestock and wildlife, Croatian Medical Journal, 51, 296-305
Gomo, C., de Garine-Wichatitsky, M., Caron, A. and Pfukenyi, D.M., 2012. Survey of brucellosis at the wildlife-livestock interface on the Zimbabwean side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 44, 77-85
Gumi, B., Schelling, E., Firdessa, R., Aseffa, A., Tschopp, R., Yamuah, L., Young, D. and Zinsstag, J., 2011. Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in pastoral cattle herds in the Oromia region, southern Ethiopia, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 43, 1081-1087
Homewood, K. 2008. Ecology of African pastoralist societies, Ohio University Press Athens, OH, USA
Jiwa, S.F.H., Kazwala, R.R., Tungaraza, R., Kimera, S.I. and Kalaye, W.J., 1996. Bovine brucellosis serum agglutination test prevalence and breed disposition according to prevalent management systems in the Lake Victoria zone of Tanzania, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 26, 341-346
Jori, F., Mokospasetso, M., Etter, E., Munstermann, S., Newman, S.H. and Michel, A., 2013. Preliminary assessment of bovine tuberculosis at the livestock/wildlife interface in two protected areas of northern Botswana, Transboundary and Emerging Diseases, 60, 28-36. doi:10.1111/tbed.12110.
Katale, B.Z., Mbugi, E.V., Karimuribo, E.D., Keyyu, J.D., Kendall, S., Kibiki, G.S., Godfrey-Faussett, P., Michel, A.L., Kazwala, R.R., van Helden, P. and Matee, M.I., 2013. Prevalence and risk factors for infection of bovine tuberculosis in indigenous cattle in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, BMC Veterinary Research, 9, doi:10.1186/1746-6148-9-267
Kulldorf, M., 1997. A spatial scan statistic, Communications in Statistics - Theory and Methods, 26, 1481 – 1496
Matope, G., Bhebhe, E., Muma, J.B., Lund, A. and Skjerve, E., 2010. Herd-level factors for Brucella seropositivity in cattle reared in smallholder dairy farms of Zimbabwe, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 94, 213-221
Mazet, J.A., Clifford, D.L., Coppolillo, P.B., Deolalikar, A.B..., Erickson, J.D. and Kazwala, R.R., 2009. A "one health" approach to address emerging zoonoses: the HALI project in Tanzania, PLoS Medicine 6, e1000190. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000190
McDermott, J.J. and Arimi, S.M., 2002. Brucellosis in sub-Saharan Africa: epidemiology, control and impact, Veterinary Microbiology, 90, 111-134
Mfinanga, S.G., Morkve, O., Kazwala, R.R., Cleaveland, S., Sharp, J.M., Shirima, G. and Nilsen, R., 2003. The role of livestock keeping in tuberculosis trends in Arusha, Tanzania, International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 7, 695-704
Motsi, T.R., Tichiwangana, S.C., Matope, G. and Mukarati, N.L., 2013. A serological survey of brucellosis in wild ungulate species from five game parks in Zimbabwe, Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 80, doi:10.4102/ojvr.v80i1.586.
Muma, J., Samui, K., Siamudaala, V., Oloya, J., Matope, G., Omer, M., Munyeme, M., Mubita, C. and Skjerve, E., 2006. Prevalence of antibodies to Brucella spp. and individual risk factors of infection in traditional cattle, goats and sheep reared in livestock–wildlife interface areas of Zambia, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 38, 195-206
Munyeme, M., Muma, J., Samui, K., Skjerve, E., Nambota, A., Phiri, I., Rigouts, L. and Tryland, M., 2009. Prevalence of bovine tuberculosis and animal level risk factors for indigenous cattle under different grazing strategies in the livestock/wildlife interface areas of Zambia, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 41, 345-352
Munyeme, M. and Munang'andu, H.M., 2011. A review of bovine tuberculosis in the Kafue basin ecosystem, Veterinary Medicine International 2011, 918743. doi:10.4061/2011/918743
Mwakalila, S., 2011: Assessing the hydrological conditions of the Usangu Wetlands in Tanzania, Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 3, 876-882
Mwakapuja, R.S., Makondo, Z.E., Malakalinga, J., Bryssinckx, W., Mdegela, R.H., Moser, I., Kazwala, R.R. and Tanner, M., 2013. Prevalence and significant geospatial clusters of bovine tuberculosis infection at livestock-wildlife interface ecosystem in Eastern Tanzania, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 45, 1223-30
Oloya, J., Muma, J.B., Opuda-Asibo, J., Djønne, B., Kazwala, R. and Skjerve, E. 2007. Risk factors for herd-level bovine-tuberculosis seropositivity in transhumant cattle in Uganda, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 80, 318-329
Swai, E.S. and Schoonman, L., 2010. The use of rose bengal plate test to asses cattle exposure to Brucella infection in traditional and smallholder dairy production systems of Tanga region of Tanzania, Veterinary Medicine International 2010. doi:10.4061/2010/837950
Swai, E.S. and Schoonman, L., 2012. Differences in prevalence of tuberculosis in indigenous and crossbred cattle under extensive and intensive management systems in Tanga region of Tanzania, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 44, 459-465
Acknowledgments
This research was part of the Health for Animals and Livelihood Improvement (HALI) Project, a One Health project addressing zoonotic diseases in Tanzania, and was funded by the Global Livestock Collaborative Research Support Program by the Office of Agriculture, Bureau for Economic Growth, Agriculture and Trade, United States Agency for International Development under the terms of Grant No. PCE-G-00-98-00036-00. Special thanks go to Howard Kombe who assisted with household interviews and testing of cattle; to Jonas Fitwangile, Ali Kitime, and Kuleng’wa Ndaki Lukiko for laboratory assistance; and to Laurel Beckett, Esthe Geraghty, and Kate Thomas for their advice on statistical analysis and mapping.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix
Appendix
Relevant survey questions
-
1.
Have there been any animals that have suffered a chronic debilitating illness for last 12 months? (Y/N)
-
2.
Do you graze animals beyond the village boundary? (Y/N)
-
3.
Do you allow your herd to mix with those from other bomas? (Y/N)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roug, A., Clifford, D., Mazet, J. et al. Spatial predictors of bovine tuberculosis infection and Brucella spp. exposure in pastoralist and agropastoralist livestock herds in the Ruaha ecosystem of Tanzania. Trop Anim Health Prod 46, 837–843 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0574-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0574-9