Occurrence of bovine tuberculosis among cattle herds from nomadic peri-urban settlements and cattle slaughtered at the municipal abattoir of Bauchi, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Objective: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) at the municipal abattoir and cattle herds in peri-urban nomadic settlements of Bauchi state of Northeastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A total of 2440 cattle slaughtered at the municipal abattoir from June to September were examined for lesions characteristic of bTB and eighty-six (n=86) cows selected from two cattle herds located at temporary nomadic settlements in Bauchi metropolis were also screened for bTB using purified protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin skin test. During the study period, total of 2,440 cattle were slaughtered comprising majority of females (n=1656) and males (n=784) as well as of different breeds including majority of White Fulani (n=1864) followed by Red Bororo (n=508) and Sokoto Gudali (n=68). Results:The results revealed that out of the 2,440 slaughtered cattle inspected for tuberculous-like lesions, 51 had lesions suspected to be lesions characteristic of tuberculosis, while 48 were positive for Ziehl-Neelsen. Prevalence rate of 1.96% based on microscopic examination and 2.0% based on suspected gross lesion were recorded. The prevalence was 0.77% for males, 1.2% females, 1.84% for adults, 0.12% for calves and 1.8% for white Fulani (Bunaji), 0.12% for Red Bororo (Rahaji) and 0.04% for Sokoto Gudali (Bokoloji). In addition, screening of 86 cows showed that 8.1% were positive for tuberculosis using tuberculin test. Conclusion:The outcome of this study showed that bTB is still endemic in Bauchi state and this can pose a significant public health challenge. Thus, it is recommended that the government should intensify the test-and-slaughter policy as well as put in place an effective monitoring and surveillance control programs for bTB to mitigate the risks posed to public health by this zoonotic disease in the study area.

Prevalence of Tuberculosis in Cattle Slaughtered at Maiduguri Central ‎Abattoir, Nigeria

“…This could be attributed to the fact that female cows are kept for longer period by farmers for breeding purpose than male cattle, and since tuberculosis is a chronic disease, its prevalence had been reported to be higher among adult cattle than the younger ones. The finding was similar to previous reports that tuberculosis was more common among female and adult cattle (Opara et al, 2012;Ejeh et al, 2014c;Kwaghe et al, 2015;Jajere et al, 2018).…”

A retrospective study of bovine tuberculosis at the municipal abattoir of Bauchi State, Northeastern Nigeria

“…This will ensure not only the production of apparently healthy cattle for human consumption but also affect the socioeconomic status of the herdsmen as well as families that relied on cattle farming as a means of livelihood. In addition, a number of studies have reported that despite the practice of strict prevention and control measures such as meat inspection, surveillance, vaccination, testing of milk for M. bovis , herd testing, and pasteurization of milk, bTB still constitute a major public health problem to humans [ 15 , 33 - 35 ]. In this regard, there is a need for a concerted effort toward the prevention and control of bTB in Bauchi State.…”

“…The reasons for the fluctuation in the occurrence of bTB lesions for the entire study period could be attributed to inadequacies in capacity and lack of thoroughness of the meat inspectors [ 13 , 40 ]. Several studies have reported that the occurrence of bTB in Nigeria is influenced by changes in the climatic condition; this can also contribute to the fluctuation in the yearly occurrence of bTB in that region [ 7 , 35 , 46 ]. Pollock and Neill [ 47 ] also reported that fluctuations in the occurrence of bTB in Northern Nigeria is dependent on seasonal variation.…”