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Serological survey for Brucella antibodies in donkeys of north-eastern Nigeria

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Abstract

A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted to determine seroprevalence and risk factors influencing the presence of Brucella antibodies in donkeys of Borno State, north-eastern Nigeria. The study aimed at providing baseline information that may be used in planning a control policy against equine brucellosis. Blood samples were collected from 601 donkeys, comprised of 374 males and 227 females from the six agricultural zones of the state between March 2013 and September 2014. The sera obtained were tested for Brucella antibodies using Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Of the 601 donkeys tested, 43 (7.2%) and 40 (6.7%) were seropositive by RBPT and cELISA, respectively. A seroprevalence of 8.6% was obtained in male and 3.5% in female donkeys. According to age, the highest seroprevalence of 9.6% was obtained from donkeys of age group 4–6 years. With respect to pregnancy status, a higher seroprevalence (6.8%) was obtained from pregnant donkeys compared to 3.8% obtained from the non-pregnant ones. There were statistically significant associations between the presence of antibodies and sex (p < 0.05) and the presence of antibodies and age (p < 0.05) of the studied donkeys. However, no statistically significant association (p > 0.05) was observed between the pregnancy status and presence of antibodies. The study concludes that Brucella infection is present in donkeys in all the agricultural zones of the state. The relatively high seroprevalence (7.2%) obtained is of public health concern because of the close interaction between donkeys, ruminants, and humans in the study area.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledged the technical assistance of Mr. O. O. Akintola, Hajjia Kolo Gambo, Mrs. Hafsat Abdul-Rahman, Mrs. Comfort Ayuba, Hajjia Lateefa Imam, and Hajjia Rukayya Muhammad of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri Borno State, Nigeria.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

    A. O. Tijjani, S. G. Adamu, H. I. Musa & I. U. Hambali

  2. Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria

    A. U. Junaidu, M. D. Salihu & O. O. Faleke

  3. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria

    A. A. Farouq

Authors
  1. A. O. Tijjani
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  2. A. U. Junaidu
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  3. M. D. Salihu
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  4. A. A. Farouq
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  5. O. O. Faleke
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  6. S. G. Adamu
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  7. H. I. Musa
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  8. I. U. Hambali
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. O. Tijjani.

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The experiment was carried out according to the care and use of experimental animals’ protocol and was approved by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Ethics and Research Committee.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Tijjani, A.O., Junaidu, A.U., Salihu, M.D. et al. Serological survey for Brucella antibodies in donkeys of north-eastern Nigeria. Trop Anim Health Prod 49, 1211–1216 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-017-1318-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-017-1318-4

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