Seroprevalenceof Bovine Brucellosis And Its Associated Risk Factorsand Knowledge, Attitude And Practice Of Cattle Owners Towards The Disease In Gambella And Itang Districts Of Gambella Region, Southwestern Ethiopia

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.