title: Risk factors for brucellosis in indigenous cattle reared in livestock-wildlife interface areas of Zambia.
abstract: We conducted this cross-sectional study to investigate risk factors of Brucella seropositivity in cattle herds reared in livestock-wildlife interface areas of Blue Lagoon and Lochinvar National Parks in Zambia between August 2003 and September 2004. Sera were collected from cattle aged > or =2 years from 124 herds. Data on husbandry practices, grazing strategies, and herd structure (sex and age composition) were also collected. Sera were screened for anti-Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal test (RBT) as a presumptive test and a competitive-ELISA (c-ELISA) as a confirmatory test. A herd was classified as Brucella seropositive if at least one animal tested positive on both RBT and c-ELISA in series testing. Risk factors for herd-level brucellosis seropositivity were tested using multivariable logistic regression; risk factors for increases in the within-herd counts of seropositive cattle were analyzed using the negative binomial regression model with the number of seropositive animals as outcome and total number of cattle tested in a herd as the population at risk (exposure). Of the 110 herds tested, 68 (62; 95% CI: 53, 71% after adjusting for clustering by area) tested seropositive for exposure to Brucella spp. The final logistic-regression model identified geographical area, with Lochinvar (OR=3.4; CI: 0.97, 12) and Kazungula (OR=4.3; CI: 0.91, 20) recording higher odds of Brucella infections compared to Blue Lagoon. Herds coming in contact with wildlife had higher odds compared to those without contact (OR=3.4; CI: 1, 11). Similarly, the odds of Brucella infection were progressively higher in the larger herd categories (26-40 cattle, OR=2.6; CI: 0.70, 10; 41-82 cattle, OR=4.9; CI: 0.93, 26; >82 cattle, OR=9.4; CI: 1.7-51) compared to the smallest herd category (10-25). The negative binomial regression model identified geographical area, contact with wildlife, and herd size as having significant effect on counts of seropositive cattle in a herd.
authors.affiliation: Department of Disease Control, University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Muma
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Samui
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oloya
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munyeme
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skjerve
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002007:Brucellosis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002417:Cattle; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D015024:Zambia / Q000453:epidemiology