Factors associated with the prevalence of antibodies against Brucella abortus in water buffaloes from Santarém, Lower Amazon region, Brazil

A study on the epidemiology of brucellosis in bovine population of peri-urban and rural areas of district Multan, southern Punjab, Pakistan

BACKGROUND

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by a bacterial pathogen belonging to the genus Brucella. It is one of the most frequent bacterial zoonoses globally but unfortunately, it is still considered as a neglected disease in the developing world. Keeping in view, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence and risk determinants of brucellosis in large ruminants of peri-urban and rural areas of district Multan-Pakistan. For this purpose, blood samples (n = 490) were collected from the cattle (n = 245) and buffalo (n = 245) population of the study area and subjected to preliminary screening of brucellosis using local and imported RBPT reagents. All the samples were further analyzed using commercially available multi-specie indirect ELISA kit followed by their confirmation by PCR using genus and species-specific primers. Data obtained from lab analysis and questionnaires were subjected to statistical analysis for Pearson Chi-square, Odds Ratio and Confidence intervals (95%).

RESULTS

The results showed that the maximum seropositivity was recorded with local RBPT reagent (VRI, Pakistan; 12.45%; 95%CI = 9.72-15.65%) followed by RBPT-IDEXX (12.24%; 95%CI = 9.52-15.45%) and RBPT-ID.vet (11.84%; 95%CI = 9.18-14.95%) however statistical difference was non-significant (P = 0.956). The ELISA results showed an overall seroprevalence rate of 11.22% (95%CI = 8.59-14.33%) with comparatively higher rate in cattle (12.65%; 95%CI = 8.82-17.44%) as compared to buffaloes (9.80%; 95%CI = 6.49-14.15%). The PCR analysis confirmed the presence of genus Brucella in all seropositive samples whereas frequency of B. abortus and B. melitensis in seropositive samples was 80% and 20%, respectively. The co-existence of both species was also observed in 5.45% samples. The statistical analysis showed a significant association of bovine brucellosis with herd size, breed, reproductive disorders, mode of insemination, educational status and farmers' awareness about brucellosis (P < 0.05). Conversely, locality, age, weight, gender, pregnancy status, parity and puberty status had no associations with brucellosis (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, brucellosis is prevalent in large ruminants of district Multan, Pakistan. It is suggested to devise and implement stringent policies for the effective control and prevention of brucellosis in the region. Further, the current situation also warrants the need to strengthen interdisciplinary coordination among veterinarians and physicians in one health perspective to ensure and strengthen the human and animal health care systems in the region.

Dual-Purpose Water Buffalo Production Systems in Tropical Latin America: Bases for a Sustainable Model

Simple Summary

Buffaloes in the Latin American tropics have gained relevance in recent years thanks to the rusticity and productivity of this species and the potential of these ecosystems. Through a specialized literature review, the options were explored to promote efficient, profitable and sustainable dual-purpose production systems, which implied taking into consideration the characteristics of a fragile environment such as the tropics but with abundant forage resources. Buffaloes have distinctive characteristics with respect to cattle, such as a high fat milk content, ability to produce healthy and heavy calves from dairy cows and their need for thermoregulation, which implies the availability of water ponds and shade in grazing areas. Therefore, we propose the basis for designing intensive rotational grazing models and, under certain silvopastoral conditions, taking advantage of the gregarious behavior of buffaloes. These models require integral forms of management, including the organization and participation of producers in commercial channels, in order to value meat, milk and dairy products, given that their nutritional qualities allow them to be sold as differentiated products. There have been successful experiences in the region with this dual-purpose model, which, with the necessary adaptations, can be strengthened with buffaloes.

Abstract

Tropical regions of Latin America have been incorporated into development in recent decades, with extensive cattle ranching as one of the main economic activities but without adequate planning, drastically degrading the ecosystem. In recent years, buffalo production has been incorporated into the region, with possibilities for development in profitable and sustainable models. To study this option in depth, a broad bibliographic review was carried out focusing on the ecological characteristics of tropical zones and the physiological and productive characteristics of buffaloes. We also investigated the structure and functioning of dual-purpose systems that have worked in cattle and that can be optimized with this alternative animal species. The possibility of taking sustainable advantage of abundant forage resources in the region was detected through intensive grazing models, as well as agrosilvopastoral systems, due to the gregarious qualities of buffaloes and responding to their thermoregulation needs. In this way, the productive and regenerative capacities of the dual-purpose system could be increased, as well as the quality of meat and milk, which could be marketed as differentiated products, taking advantage of their outstanding nutritional qualities. Integral management of the dual-purpose system is proposed, retaking the bases of the original model of family characters, diversified and with low investments and risks, which with specific innovations can be an effective development option for producers in the region.

Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in Buffalo Worldwide and Associated Risk Factors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by Brucella spp. Brucellosis is widely distributed in more than 160 or 170 countries around the world, where it poses a huge threat to animal husbandry and human health. About 150 million head of water buffalo, distributed across more than 40 countries worldwide, are kept for the purposes of service, milk, and meat. High incidence of Brucella spp. in buffalo has negatively affected dairy products and meat products.

Results: We searched all research related to seroprevalence of brucellosis in water buffalo anywhere in the world in PubMed, Science Direct, SpringerLink, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, and VIP Chinese Journal Databases. A total of 26 articles published from 1985 to 2020 met the final selection criteria. The overall seroprevalence of buffalo brucellosis worldwide was 9.7%. The seroprevalence before 2010 (20.8%) (95% CI: 5.6–42.2) was much higher than the seroprevalence rate from 2010 to 2020 (4.2%) (95% CI: 1.8–7.5). Subgroup analysis by feeding mode found that the point estimate of seroprevalence in stock buffalo (11.5%) (95% CI: 3.6–23.0) was higher than that in captive buffalo (10.6%) (95% CI: 4.9–18.1). Subgroup analysis by farming mode found that the seroprevalence was higher in captive-bred buffalo (10.7%) (95% CI: 6.6–15.7) than in intensively farmed buffalo (8.5) (95% CI: 0.9–22.2). The seroprevalence in buffalo living in dry lands (6.4%) (95% CI: 2.0–12.9) is greater than that in buffalo living in wetlands (5.1%) (95% CI: 1.8–10.4) (P < 0.05). The seroprevalence in female buffalo (10.1%) (95% CI: 3.4–19.7) was higher than that in male buffalo (4.4%) (95% CI: 2.0–7.4). The seroprevalence in lactating buffalo was higher than that in buffalo of other ages (26.9%) (95% CI: 1.8–66.5). Subgroup analysis by detection method found that the seroprevalence detected by the complement fixation test (27.3%) (95% CI: 0.7–70.8) was much higher than that detected by other methods.

Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis showed that buffalo brucellosis infection is very common in buffalo herds around the world. Although the seroprevalence of brucellosis in buffalo and humans is relatively low, serious effects upon animal husbandry and public health make it necessary to take effective control and preventive measures to control the spread of this disease.

Bubalus bubalis: A Short Story

The domestic buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), also known as water buffalo or Asian buffalo to prevent confusion with the American bison (Bison bison), wrongly named buffalo in North America, comprises two subspecies: the river buffalo (B. bubalis bubalis) and the swamp buffalo (B. bubalis kerebau). The swamp buffalo has a consistent phenotype and is considered as one type, even if many breeds are recognized within it; conversely, the river buffalo subspecies has many breeds. We found limited information available regarding the worldwide distribution of buffaloes. The best estimate is that 208,098,759 buffalo head are distributed in 77 countries in five continents. In this review, we presented the basic aspects of the water buffalo and unraveled the buffalo path followed from the origin of the species to its current global distribution. We reviewed several data sources to provide a better estimate of the world buffalo count and distribution.