BACTERIOLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL STUDIES OF BRUCELLOSIS IN SHEEP AND GOATS IN A RESEARCH FARM IN ZARIA, NIGERIA

No Thumbnail Available
Date
2013-01
Authors
BALA, Sylvester Reuben
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This study was aimed at detecting the presence of Brucella organisms and the prevalence of Brucella antibodies in sheep and goats in a Research Farm in Zaria, Nigeria. A total of 580 blood samples (265 from goats and 315 from sheep) were examined for culture and serology. Blood samples with anticoagulants were cultured while serological tests such as; Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), Serum agglutination test (SAT) and 2-Mercaptoethanol (2-ME) test were performed on sera collected. Brucella abortus antigens for RBPT and SAT from Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, UK were used. There were no growth of Brucellae from blood cultures. Rose Bengal plate test detected antibodies to Brucella organism in 33.58% (89/265) of the goats and 33.65% (106/315) in sheep while SAT detected antibodies to Brucella organism in 25.66% (68/265) of goats and 6.35% (20/315) of the sheep and there was significant association between the presence of Brucella antibodies in goats and sheep using SAT (P<0.05). RBPT detected antibodies to Brucella in 33.62% (195/580) of all goats and sheep sampled while SAT detected antibodies in 15.17% (88/580) of all the goats and sheep sampled, there was significant association between the use of RBPT and SAT in detection of antibodies in the goats and sheep (P<0.05). The results of RBPT showed that females had a higher seroprevalence of 36.49% than males (22.22%) in goats and there was significant association between the presence of antibodies to Brucella in female and male goats as detected by RBPT (P<0.05) while a similar result was recorded in sheep where females had a higher seroprevalence of 34.03% than males (32.47%), though there was no significant association (P>0.05). The results of SAT in goats showed higher antibodies to Brucella organism in males (29.63%) than females (24.64%), while in sheep, males also had a higher seroprevalence of 9.09% than females (5.46%). There was no significant association between the presence of Brucella antibodies in male and female goats and sheep using SAT (P>0.05). The 2-ME test revealed that 15.17% of animals had IgM. In conclusion, this study has established serological evidence of Brucella infection in sheep and goats in the Research Farm studied though the organism could not be isolated from blood. It is therefore recommended that attempts should be made to isolate Brucella from other samples like milk, vaginal secretions and semen from animals on the farm, new animals should be screened for brucellosis before introduction into the farm. Moreso, handlers of animals in the farm should be educated on the zoonotic implications of brucellosis.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY, FACULTY OF VETERINARY MEDICINE, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA JANUARY, 2013
Keywords
BACTERIOLOGICAL,, SEROLOGICAL,, STUDIES,, BRUCELLOSIS,, SHEEP,, GOATS,, RESEARCH,, FARM,, ZARIA,, NIGERIA
Citation