Brucella Species Circulating in Smallholder Dairy Cattle in Tanzania
Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus <i>Brucella</i>, which results in economic losses relating to livestock and threatens public health. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the molecular prevalence of <i>Brucella</i> species in smallholder dairy cattle in six regions of Tanzania from July 2019 to October 2020. Dairy cattle (<i>n</i> = 2048) were sampled from 1371 farms. DNA extracted from blood and vaginal swabs was tested for <i>Brucella</i> using qPCR targeting the IS711 gene and positives were tested for the alkB marker for <i>B. abortus</i> and BMEI1172 marker for <i>B. melitensis</i>. The molecular prevalence was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8-4.4) with the highest prevalence 8.1% (95% CI: 4.6-13.0) in Njombe region. <i>B. melitensis</i> was the predominant species detected (66.2%). Further studies are recommended to understand the source of <i>B. melitensis</i> and its implications for veterinary public health. Livestock keepers should be informed of the risks and biosecurity practices to reduce the introduction and control of <i>Brucella</i>. Cattle and small ruminant vaccination programs could be implemented to control brucellosis in high-risk populations in the country.
Authors
- Elizabeth A. J. Cook (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6081-8363)
- Eliamoni Lyatuu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9909-2117)
- James Miser Akoko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5730-4505)
- Isaac Joseph Mengele (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4051-4079)
- Shabani Kiyabo Motto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4106-9579)
- Mark Bronsvoort (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3271-8485)
- Luis E. Hernandez-Castro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2342-1655)
- Gabriel Shirima (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7768-711X)
- D. M. Komwihangilo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3291-9869)
- Shedrack Festo Bwatota (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4382-2448)
Institutions
- National Health Service (GB)
- Roslin Institute (GB)
- Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TZ)
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (GB)
- Aga Khan Hospital Dar es Salaam (TZ)
- International Livestock Research Institute (KE)
- Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (TZ)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Pathogens
- Published
- 2024-09-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens13090815
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.91
Funders
- Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- International Livestock Research Institute
- Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers
- Scotland’s Rural College
- Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council