Epidemiology of brucellosis in smallholder dairy cattle in Hai and Meru Districts, Northern Tanzania
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Date
2024-06
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NM-AIST
Abstract
Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease in most developing countries caused by a facultative
intracellular gram-negative bacterium of the genus Brucella. Brucellosis is one of the six
priority zoonotic diseases in Tanzania with high social economic effects. A recently upsurge
of brucellosis cases under the smallholder dairy cattle farming in many urban areas in Tanzania
is a public health concern. A cross sectional study was conducted between January and June
2022 to establish the seroprevalence of brucellosis and possible risk factors in smallholder dairy
cattle farming in the Hai and Meru Districts. To determine the seroprevalence, blood samples
were analyzed for Brucella circulating antibodies using the Rose Bengal Plate Test and
Competitive Enzyme Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay. A structured questionnaire was
presented to 200 smallholder dairy cattle farmers to explore the potential risk factors associated
with brucellosis among dairy cattle in the study area. A total of 400 cattle were blood sampled
from 10 villages in each district. The overall seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was 0.50%
and 0% for the Hai and Meru districts, respectively. Analysis of knowledge and management
practices of brucellosis in the study areas showed that the majority of farmers (74.5%) knew
the disease name; though, majority of them (87.9%) were not aware of the disease clinical
signs. The indoor farming system mostly practiced in Hai and Meru District could have
contributed to the observed low seroprevalence; thus, brucellosis free certification scheme can
be implemented for continuous management of brucellosis in animals and humans as
recommended by FAO.
Sustainable Development Goals
A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Health and Biomedical Sciences of the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology
Keywords
Research Subject Categories::NATURAL SCIENCES