Abstract:
Bovine tuberculosis (BTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M.bovis), is endemic in Ethiopia. However, its
magnitude in cattle and human population are not well documented. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 720
apparently healthy dairy cattle kept in three different state owned farms in central Ethiopia to quantify the risk
factors and determine the prevalence of BTB using (CIDT) Comparative Intra-Dermal Tuberculin Test from
December 2013 to November 2014. Questionnaire survey was used to assess the risk factors and zoonotic
implication of BTB. The prevalence of BTB was at 16.53% (95% CI 14.2-18.9) and It was significantly higher in
crossbreed (
2
= 54.76; P<0.001; OR=16.1; 95% CI=6.2-41.1) and animals older than 4 years (
2
=34.51; P<0.001,
OR =6.22; 95% CI=3.5-11.12). Moreover, the prevalence was also significantly higher in good body conditioned
dairy cattle compared to poor body conditioned dairy cattle (
2
=29.69; P<0.001; OR=2.45; 95% CI=1.1-5.7). The
prevalence of BTB was also significantly varied among the reproductive status of the dairy cattle (
2
=18.10;
P<0.001). The majority of the respondents consume raw milk (66.1% and raw meat (74.20%) respectively. There
was statistically significant variation (
2
=12.51; P<0.03) in consumption habit between educated and non-educated
dairy farm workers. The major risk factors for bovine tuberculosis in this study were breed and age of the dairy
cattle. Consumption of raw milk and meat is still a common practice in the study farms. Culling of aged dairy cattle
and continuous test and slaughter of infected cattle should be practiced at least in state owned dairy farms to
decrease the risk of transmission. In addition to awareness creation of the public particularly the dairy farm workers
on the zoonotic nature of tuberculosis is of utmost importance to control bovine tuberculosis.
