title: Prevalence of and factors associated with Brucella sero-positivity in cattle in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Uganda.
abstract: Brucellosis is a key zoonosis of major public health, animal welfare and economic significance, and is endemic in livestock in Uganda. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out to estimate the sero-prevalence of brucellosis and identify factors associated with sero-positivity in cattle in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Northern and Eastern Uganda, respectively. A total of 1007 sera and data on biologically plausible risk factors from 166 herds and their spatial locations, were collected from cattle reared in urban and peri-urban Gulu and Soroti towns of Uganda. The sera were analyzed using indirect ELISA and sero-positive reactors confirmed by competitive ELISA. Multivariable models were used to investigate for risk factors. The overall animal-level and herd-level sero-prevalence was 7.5% (76/1007, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 6.15-9.4%) and 27.1% (45/166, 95% CI: 20.9-34.3%), respectively. Herd-level sero-prevalence was significantly (P<0.001) higher in Soroti than Gulu. In Gulu town, sero-positivity increased with an increase in herd size (P=0.03) and age (P=0.002), and was higher in cattle brought in from western Uganda (P<0.0001). In Soroti town, introduction of new cattle into a herd was significantly (P=0.027) associated with herd sero-positivity. There was a geographically differential risk (clustering) of Brucella sero- positivity in herds in Soroti, while sero-positivity was homogeneously distributed in Gulu. The data highlight brucellosis occurrence and major risk factors for its transmission in cattle in urban and peri-urban areas.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, P. O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
authors.forename: Denis Rwabiita
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Mugizi
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boqvist
authors.forename: George William
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Nasinyama
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Waiswa
authors.forename: Kokas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikwap
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rock
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Magnusson
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Erume
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002007:Brucellosis, Bovine / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002417:Cattle; D002947:Cities; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology