title: Serosurvey for zoonotic viral and bacterial pathogens among slaughtered livestock in Egypt.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Zoonotic diseases are an important cause of human morbidity and mortality. Animal populations at locations with high risk of transmission of zoonotic pathogens offer an opportunity to study viral and bacterial pathogens of veterinary and public health concern.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples were collected from domestic and imported livestock slaughtered at the Muneeb abattoir in central Egypt in 2009. Samples were collected from cattle (n=161), buffalo (n=153), sheep (n=174), and camels (n=10). Samples were tested for antibodies against Leptospira spp. by a microscopy agglutination test, Coxiella burnetii by enzyme immunoassay, Brucella spp. by standard tube agglutination, and Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV), Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV), sandfly fever Sicilian virus (SFSV), and sandfly fever Naples virus (SFNV) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antibodies against Leptospira spp. were identified in 64 (40%) cattle, 45 (29%) buffalo, 71 (41%) sheep, and five (50%) camels; antibodies against C. burnetii in six (4%) buffalo, 14 (8%) sheep, and seven (70%) camels; and antibodies against Brucella spp. in 12 (8%) cattle, one (1%) buffalo, seven (4%) sheep, and one (10%) camel. Antibodies against RVFV were detected in two (1%) cattle and five (3%) buffalo, and antibodies against CCHFV in one (1%) cow. No antibodies against SFSV or SFNV were detected in any species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RESULTS indicate that livestock have been exposed to a number of pathogens, although care must be taken with interpretation. It is not possible to determine whether antibodies against Leptospira spp. and RVFV in cattle and buffalo are due to prior vaccination or natural exposure. Similarly, antibodies identified in animals less than 6 months of age may be maternal antibodies transferred through colostrum rather than evidence of prior exposure. RESULTS provide baseline evidence to indicate that surveillance within animal populations may be a useful tool to monitor the circulation of pathogens of veterinary and public health concern in Egypt.
authors.affiliation: 1 Global Disease Detection Regional Center-Egypt, US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3 , Cairo, Egypt .
authors.forename: Katherine C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: Momtaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wasfy
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Samaha
authors.forename: Bassem
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abdel-Rahman
authors.forename: Sameh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Safwat
authors.forename: Moustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdel Fadeel
authors.forename: Emad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mohareb
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dueger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002002:Brucella / Q000276:immunology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D002020:Buffaloes; D002162:Camelus; D002417:Cattle; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology*; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D003225:Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo / Q000276:immunology*; D006479:Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007919:Leptospira / Q000276:immunology*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D058751:Livestock / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D012295:Rift Valley Fever / Q000453:epidemiology; D012296:Rift Valley fever virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Abattoir; Brucella; Coxiella burnetii; Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus; Egypt; Leptospira; Livestock; Rift Valley Fever virus; Zoonoses