title: Detection of Brucella abortus in Chiredzi district in Zimbabwe.
abstract: Brucellosis is an endemic disease in Zimbabwe caused by the genus  Brucella.  Brucella seroprevalence was recently reported to be high  in the wildlife-livestock interface in the  Chiredzi district and the neighbouring Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe, and  higher amongst communal cattle with an abortion history and access to grazing in GNP than  amongst communal cattle with no abortion history or access to grazing in GNP. The aim of  this study was to investigate Brucella species in brucellosis seropositive cattle in the Chiredzi  district with access to GNP using isolation and identification. Isolation of Brucella species from  whole blood (n = 18) and milk samples (n = 10) from seropositive animals with an abortion  history was based on the rose Bengal test (RBT) and enzyme-linked immunoassays (enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]; indirect ELISA and complement ELISA), using  microbiology and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. Brucella abortus was cultured and  identified from blood and milk collected from seropositive cows in both communal areas. The Brucella-specific 16-23S intergenic spacer (ITS) PCR and multiplex AMOS-PCR assays verified  the identification of the cultures. Our results confirmed that  B. abortus is present in cattle  on communal farms in the Chiredzi district in Zimbabwe and might cause cattle abortions.  The need for implementing control measures and raising public awareness on zoonotic  transmission of brucellosis are recommended.
authors: Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria. henriette.vanheerden@up.ac.za.
authors: Calvin
authors: C
authors: Gomo
authors: Shuvai
authors: S
authors: Musari
authors: Michel
authors: M
authors: De Garine-Wichatitsky
authors: Alexandre
authors: A
authors: Caron
authors: Davies M
authors: DM
authors: Pfukenyi
authors: Henriette
authors: H
authors: Van Heerden
mesh_terms: D000034:Abortion, Veterinary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002007:Brucellosis, Bovine / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002417:Cattle; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D011634:Public Health; D012395:Rose Bengal / Q000737:chemistry; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D012395:Rose Bengal