Bovine Tuberculosis Prevalence, Potential Risk Factors and Its Public Health Implication in Selected State Dairy Farms, Central Ethiopia

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.