A cross sectional sero-prevalence study was conducted on 1,595 cattle in Jimma zone, Ethiopia to investigate the status of bovine brucellosis and identify potential risk factors. Sera samples were analyzed using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and Complement Fixation Test (CFT). The overall individual and herd level sero-prevalences were 3.1% (n = 1,595) and 15.0% (n = 227), respectively. The sero-prevalence of bovine brucellosis at individual animal level was significantly higher in non-pregnant (11.18%) than pregnant (2.77%) and lactating (22.35%) than non-lactating animals (2.46%). Moreover, significantly higher sero-prevalence was observed in herds of larger sizes. Individual animal sero-prevalence was also positively associated with the occurrence of abortion (26.98 and 1.54% in those with and without previous history of abortion, respectively). Generally, the sero-prevalence of bovine brucellosis found in Jimma area was not high and the sero-prevalence was closely associated with some of the risk factors considered at individual animal and herd level.

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The most common clinical manifestations of brucellosis in livestock are associated with reproduction. This paper reports the result of a cross-sectional study conducted between October, 2007 and April, 2008 in Western Tigray, North Ethiopia, with the objectives of assessing the effect of Brucella infection on reproduction conditions of female breeding bovine and to explore the presence of Brucella seroreactors in vulnerable humans. A total of 1,354 and 246 sera were collected from female cattle and humans, respectively. The sera were screened using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and positive samples were confirmed by complement fixation test (CFT). Reproductive conditions for female cattle and risk to human brucellosis seropositivity were tested by using logistic regression analysis. The result indicated that the overall prevalence in female cattle was 6.1%. The study showed 1.2% prevalence among human risk groups, all of which were herdsmen. Logistic regression identified parity status, calving interval, abortion history, and abortion period were significantly associated with seropositivity. The association was not significant with reproductive status and parity number. Proper hygienic practices and team work between veterinary and health personnel should improve the efforts to combat disease transmission.

Village chicken production was characterized using retrospective and crosssectional methods, where 280 households rearing local chickens in Halaba district of southern Ethiopia were used for data collection. The study revealed that the average flock size was 8.5 chickens (95% CI=7.98-9.08). The average number of chickens added to a flock annually was 28.3 birds (95% CI=27.76-28.86) while 22.9 birds (95% CI=22.36-23.53) were leaving the flock. The majority of the households (77.7%) constructed a wooden perch for night resting of their chickens inside the main house. Scavenging was the major avenue of feeding chickens. Most of the respondents (83.6%) practiced selection in their chicken flocks for females (68.4%) and both sexes (31.6%). The average number of eggs laid by local hen was 13.3 eggs/hen/clutch (95% CI=12.81-13.85) and the mean annual egg production was 50.8 eggs per year with an average clutching frequency of 3.8 clutches (95% CI = 3.69-3.92). The average clutch length was 26 days (95% CI = 24.92-27.08). While the age at first lay of village chickens was 6.53 months (95% CI = 6.45-6.61), the average weight at first lay was 0.91 kg (95% CI = 0.87-0.96). The mean egg weight for the village chickens was 39.4 g (95% CI = 38.79-39.91). The average hatchability of eggs in this study was 83.7 % (95% CI = 81.73-85.72). The survival rate of chicks to 6 months of age was 52.3% (95% CI = 51.09-53.45). It was concluded that village chicken production was characterized by low input and output system, and scavenging was the dominant form of feeding of village chicken.

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