Abstract:
Brucellosis is economically important zoonotic bacterial disease caused by genus Brucella. A
cross-sectional study was conducted on cattle in Gambella and Itang districts Gambella
regional state between February 2019 and November 2019 to assess bovine brucellosis
seroprevalence, potential risk factors, knowledge-attitude and practice of cattle owners about
brucellosis. The study districts were selected purposively. However, peasant association, herd
and individual animals were selected randomly. A total of 400 blood samples were collected
from local breed cattle of above six months of age. The RBPT screened 19 Brucella
seropositive out of 400 (4.75%) (95%CI 1.04-8.05) and positive sera were further retested by
using CFT and the combined result (RBPT and CFT tests) 8 (2%) (95% CI: 0.75-3.2) sera
were confirmed seropositive. Out of 80 herds included in the study, 6(7.5%) (95% CI: 4.6-
17.2) were seropositive using CFT with at least one seropositive animal in the herd. The
overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was 2% and 7.5% at animal and herd level respectively.
Moreover, information was gathered on individual animal and herd to assess risk factors
using a semi- structured questionnaire prepared for this purpose. The result of multivariable
logistic regression analysis showed that herd size (OR: 9.481, 95%CI: 1.09-
82.48,p=0.041),history of previous abortion (OR: 7.8, 95%CI: 5.75-12.38, P=0.003)and
history of retain fetal membrane (OR: 32.18: 95%CI: 3.78-27.38, P=0.001) were
foundassociated for Brucella seropositivity. The results of questionnaire survey revealed that
the majority(87.5%) of respondents do not have sufficient knowledge about brucellosis and
its risk factors, about 93.75% of the have the habit of consumption of raw milk and 81.25%
of respondents were assisting parturition without glovewhich put themat high risk of
acquiring the infection. Although the overall prevalence of bovine brucellosis was low in
study area, it could serve as source of infection to different herds as there were foci of
infection in herds and brucellosis is highly contagious disease. Hence, avoid raw milk
consumption, increasing awareness creation, deep burring of aborted fetuses and fetal
membrane measures should be implemented to reduce risk of infection and transmission of
the disease in livestock and human in the study area.
