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Epidemiology of bovine brucellosis in Hisar, India: identification of risk factors and assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among livestock owners

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Abstract

Brucellosis caused by facultative intracellular bacteria, Brucella, remains a global threat to both animal and human health. In this study we aimed to identify potential risk factors of bovine brucellosis and to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) of livestock keepers in Hisar, India. A standardized questionnaire was used to collate information regarding potential risk factors of bovine brucellosis and livestock owners’ KAPs. A total of 127 livestock keepers were involved. Serum samples from their animals (n = 635) were tested for the presence of antibodies against Brucella by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA). Out of these, 78 (61.4%) of the herds had at least one seropositive animal, and 302 (47.6%) of the cattle were seropositive. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between intensive farm type (OR = 4.6; 95% CI, 1.6–16.7; P = 0.009), hygienic disposal of aborted fetuses (OR = 0.3; 95% CI, 0.08–0.9; P = 0.04) and herd seropositivity for brucellosis. The majority, 96 (75.6%) of the respondents, were males aged 18–50, and 82 (64.6%) owned a small-backyard farm. Only 51 (40.2%) of the participants knew about brucellosis; out of them, 54.9% (28/51) could not identify clinical signs of brucellosis. Six (11.8%) participants indicated abortion as the most noticeable clinical sign, and 45.1% indicated that consumption of raw milk is associated with high risk of contracting brucellosis. A large proportion of respondents confirmed that milk from their animals was regularly consumed (86.6%) and sold (59.8%) to other people. These results suggest that bovine brucellosis is endemic in Haryana, where Brucella-contaminated milk is likely being regularly sold. Brucellosis control efforts in Haryana should include education programs to raise awareness of the disease and means to control it in cattle and to prevent zoonotic transmission.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, Government of India for their funding and supports throughout the research and also to the livestock owners involved in this study for their participation and compliance during the questionnaire interview and blood sample collection

Funding

We appreciate the sponsors of the “Outreach Programme on Zoonotic Diseases (OPZD)” of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, Government of India for their funding and supports under the Grant No: [5510-C(b)-VPHE-1-ICAR].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, LUVAS, Hisar, 125004, Haryana, India

    A. S. Saidu & N. K. Mahajan

  2. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, P.M.B., 1069, Maiduguri, 600230, Nigeria

    A. S. Saidu

  3. Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health Group, Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK

    I. I. Musallam, H. R. Holt & J. Guitian

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Contributions

This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Author ASS designed the study, did the sampling, administer the questionnaire, collected the blood samples and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Authors NKM and JG supervised the whole research and reviewed the manuscript. Authors IIM and HRH designed the questionnaire template and managed the data analyses of the study and reviewed the manuscript. Author HRH did the literature searches and English editing of the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to A. S. Saidu.

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Saidu, A.S., Mahajan, N.K., Musallam, I.I. et al. Epidemiology of bovine brucellosis in Hisar, India: identification of risk factors and assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices among livestock owners. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 450 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-021-02884-z

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