A Study on Prevalence and Risk Factors of Brucellosis in Cattle and Buffaloes in District Hyderabad, Pakistan

Abstract

Brucellosis is recognized worldwide as an important bacterial disease of cattle, buffaloes, goats etc, that causes infertility in both male and female animals. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in aborted cattle and buffaloes in district Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan. Amongst 69 and 89 milk samples of cattle and buffaloes, the positive reactors for Brucella abortus antibodies examined by milk ring test (MRT) were, 22 (31.88%) and 42 (47.19%), respectively. The main constraints of the prevalence of brucellosis in cattle and buffaloes recorded through interviewing the farmers of the study area were recorded as: addition of animals through an auction (25% and 91%), improper disposal of aborted material (44% and 68%), < 3 kilometer distance between herds (40% and 65%), contact with stray cattle (36% and 49%) and stray dogs (60% and 36%), respectively. It was concluded that brucellosis in cattle and buffaloes is prevalent in dairy and household farms in district Hyderabad, moreover, Brucella positive reactors were predominantly higher in buffaloes than cattle. Veterinary services with improved level should be maintained in the area to reduce the burden of brucellosis in cattle and buffaloes in district Hyderabad.

Prevalence Survey of Bovine Brucellosis in Apparently Healthy Dairy Animals in Karachi, Pakistan

“…We have used this test in our study and found 14% cases as positive. This prevalence is quite low as compared to our study in Hyderabad (Soomro et al, 2014) that showed 31-47% prevalence in cattle and buffaloes respectively. Likewise, in another study in Faisalabad, 20.1% was recorded in horses (Gul et al, 2013).…”

“…This reflects the better managemental and sanitary conditions in dairy farms of Karachi as compared to other small cities of Pakistan. Because, it is well recognized that sanitary conditions like disposal of aborted material, contact with stray dogs and other wild animals etc., are the major risk factors for brucellosis (Soomro et al, 2014).…”

“…Visits were made to all 4 districts of Karachi and a total of 200 dairy buffaloes and cattle were examined and samples including blood and milk samples were collected. A total of 5 ml milk or blood sample were collected ascetically in sterilized sample bottles and transported to laboratory under refrigerated conditions for analysis (Soomro et al, 2014). Upon coagulation, serum were separated from blood samples and it was further centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min to remove any cellular material.…”

“…Even though, Brucella has definite host preferences, bovine brucellosis caused mainly by B. abortus. The main factors of concern for the farmers to brucellosis are the low fertility and the high mortality in young animals (Soomro et al, 2014). …”

Epidemiological Investigation of Outbreak of Brucellosis at Private Dairy Farm, Central Punjab-Pakistan

“…It's may be due to lack of information. There was no proper disposal of the aborted material at farms in district Hyderabad (Soomro et al, 2014).There were no proper fences or boundary wall around the farm. Rodents and dogs were also present at the farm.…”