A retrospective sero-epidemiological survey of bovine brucellosis on commercial and communal farming systems in Namibia
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A retrospective sero-epidemiological survey of bovine brucellosis on commercial and communal farming systems in Namibia from 2004 to 2018 Oscar Madzingira 1,4 & Folorunso Oludayo Fasina 2,4 & Erick Kandiwa 1 & Albertina Musilika-Shilongo 3 & Frank Chitate 1 & Henriette van Heerden 4 Received: 23 October 2019 / Accepted: 16 June 2020 # Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Cattle production is the major livestock production activity and the mainstay of Namibia’s economy. Sustained beef exports are contingent on a sound sanitary environment where diseases such as brucellosis are under control. In this retrospective study, 49,718 bovine brucellosis testing results from 2004 to 2018 were analyzed to determine the proportion of sero-positive cattle and herds, and the spatial distribution of positive reactors from commercial and communal areas. In total, 244 positive reactors were identified based on the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and the Complement Fixation Test (CFT) in series, giving an overall proportion of infected animals of 0.49% (244/49,718; 95% CI, 0.43–0.56%) and an overall proportion of infected herds of 9.26% (78/842; 95% CI, 7.49–11.41%). There was a higher proportion of sero-positive communal herds (33.09%) and cattle (10.27%) than commercial herds (4.67%) and cattle (0.24%; p < 0.05). Annually, the proportion of positive reactors was 0–1.37% in the commercial area and 0–52.38% in the communal areas, with a clear decline in positive reactors in the communal areas. Within the commercial sector, the proportion of positive reactor dairy, beef, and export cattle was 0.19% (51/27,067; 95% CI, 0.14–0.25%), 0.30% (48/16,098; 95% CI, 0.22–0.40%), and 0.33% (16/4811; 95% CI, 0.20–0.54%), respectively. Abortions were found to be the major reason for Brucella testing in the communal areas. About 12.65% (96/ 759) of abortion-linked sera tested positive in the communal areas, but none were positive in beef or dairy cattle. Widespread vaccination of cattle and robust planned surveillance is recommended to reduce the incidence of the disease, its associated production losses and public health risk. Keywords Brucellosis . Apparent prevalence . Cattle . Communal area . Commercial area . Namibia
Introduction * Oscar Madzingira [email protected] 1
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Namibia, Windhoek P. Bag 13301, Namibia
2
Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases-Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (ECTAD-FAO), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
3
Directorate of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, P. Bag 12022, Government Office Park, Windhoek, Namibia
4
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa
Livestock production is a mainstay of the Namibian economy. Beef exports contribute approximately N$2.2 billion (US$157 million) annually, representing around 7% of Namibia’s total annual export earnings
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