Sero-prevalence and Risk Factors of Brucellosis in Goats in Bangladesh: Rose Bengal PlateTest and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Based Approaches

Brucellosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease in goats.The causal agents are Brucella spp.and showing symptoms of abortions, stillbirths, and weak offspring in females and orchitis in males.The economic impact includes declined milk production and abortion, alongside the potential zoonotic transmission through milk and uterine discharges.The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of caprine brucellosis in three districts of Bangladesh-Jhenaidah, Meherpur, and Mymensingh.Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (i-ELISA) were used to detect Brucella-specific antibodies in infected animals.A total of 210 serum samples were collected.Goats were categorized based on geographic location, sex, breed, housing system, and rearing practices to evaluate potential risk factors.The overall prevalence of brucellosis was 3.81% by RBPT and 2.38% by ELISA.District-wise prevalence was highest in Mymensingh (RBPT: 4.123%, ELISA: 2.061%), followed by Jhenaidah (RBPT: 3.947%, ELISA: 2.631%), and Meherpur (RBPT and ELISA: 2.702%).Household-based farms exhibited the highest prevalence (RBPT: 6.976%, ELISA: 4.651%).Female goats showed a higher seroprevalence (RBPT: 4.081%, ELISA: 2.721%) compared to males (RBPT: 3.174%, ELISA: 1.587%).Among breeds, Black Bengal goats had the highest prevalence (RBPT: 4.032%, ELISA: 2.419%), and goats under free-ranging management showed the highest infection rates (RBPT: 4.545%, ELISA: 3.409%).This study emphasizes the prevalence and diversity of caprine brucellosis in Bangladesh across various regions, animal populations, and management approaches.The results highlight the necessity of regular surveillance and efficient control measures to mitigate the economic and public health impacts of brucellosis in goat farming systems.