title: Prevalence of Brucella abortus antibodies in equines of a tropical region of Mexico.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determinate the seroprevalence rate of equine brucellosis in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Serum samples from 420 equines were analyzed with the Rose Bengal test at cell concentrations of 3% (RBT-3%) and 8% (RBT-8%), and positive results were confirmed with the Rivanol test (RT). Risk factors were determined with the prevalence ratio (PR) and the use of variables generated from a questionnaire administered to the animals' owners. Serum from 1 stallion had positive results with both the RBT-8% and the RT, for a seroprevalence rate of 0.238%. Drinking of water from a pond that was also used by cattle and dogs was the only associated risk factor for this animal (PR = 0.25). However, the results were considered false-positive, because the results for other horses in the same environmental conditions were negative. Although brucellosis is considered endemic in ruminants in the study area, the results obtained suggest that equines are not a reservoir of brucellosis and do not play an important role in the epidemiologic patterns of this disease in northeastern Mexico.
authors.affiliation: Unidad Académica Multidisciplinaria Reynosa-Aztlán, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Calle 16 y Lago de Chapala, Colonia Aztlán, Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rosa I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Acosta-González
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: González-Reyes
authors.forename: Gerardo H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Flores-Gutiérrez
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D018397:Equidae; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006736:Horses; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012395:Rose Bengal; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D012395:Rose Bengal