Bovine Brucellosis Sero-Prevalence, Associated Risk Factors, Assessment of Farmers' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in Selected Districts of the Eastern Bale Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia

Objectives: in order to ascertain the current serological prevalence and the risk factors associated with it. Methods: A structured questionnaire was designed and administered by the consented study participants in the area. A total of 384 cattle, Sera samples were screened for evidence of brucellosis using the Rose Bengal Test (RBT), with positive results confirmed by the Complement Fixation Test (CFT). The Statistical Program for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 22) was used to analyze the data. We have described the significant association between the seroprevalence of Brucella and explanatory variables. Results: The overall animal level prevalence was 6 (1.6%) animals were seropositive for Brucella in RBPT and 4 (1.0%) in CFT. The result of the sero pre-valence study showed that statistically significant variation was observed in animals with abortion histories, since animals with a history of abortion had a nearly 12-fold higher chance of testing positive for Brucella than animals without a history of abortion (P = 0.019; OR = 11.81; CI = 1.513-92.157). However, the seroprevalence of Brucella with respect to host-specific risk factors sex, age, body condition, and parity in multivariable regression analysis did not show a statistically significant association with the seroprevalence of Brucella (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The current study demonstrated that brucellosis was common in the cattle in the study area, resulting in production losses, economic loss, and public health importance. Therefore, in order to develop suitable and successful control and prevention strategies against the disease throughout the study area, sero surveilance and monitoring systems need to control brucellosis.