title: Prevalence and risk factors for Brucella seropositivity among sheep and goats in a peri-urban region of Tajikistan.
abstract: This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of Brucella infection among sheep and goats on small-scale farms in a peri-urban area of Tajikistan and identify factors associated with seropositivity. The study population was 667 female sheep and goats >6 months of age from 21 villages in four districts surrounding the capital city, Dushanbe. Individual blood samples were collected during October and November 2012 and analysed with indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive samples were confirmed with competitive ELISA. To identify factors associated with seropositivity at an individual level, a generalised linear mixed model was applied to account for clustering of individuals within villages and districts. The true individual seroprevalence was 6.7 % and ranged from 1.0 to 15.6 % between the four districts. Fourteen villages had at least one seropositive sheep or goat, resulting in apparent prevalence of 67 % at village level. The seroprevalence at individual level was significantly lower in Rudaki district (odds ratio (OR) = 0.1; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.03-0.4) and Varzob district (OR = 0.3; 95 % CI 0.09-0.8) than in Vahdat district. Sheep were more likely than goats to be seropositive (OR = 2.7; 95 % CI 1.3-5.5). Increasing age was significantly associated with seropositivity (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI 1.2-1.6). These results indicate high prevalence of Brucella infection among sheep and goats in the peri-urban area of the capital city in Tajikistan. Given the dense human population in such areas, this could constitute a threat to public health, besides causing significant production losses.
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproduction, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7054, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elisabeth Lindahl
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Rajala
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproduction, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7054, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grahn
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproduction, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7054, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ljung
authors.affiliation: Tajik Agrarian University, P.O. 734003, Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
authors.forename: Nosirjon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sattorov
authors.affiliation: Division of Food Safety and Bacteriology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Veterinary Public Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7028, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boqvist
authors.affiliation: Division of Reproduction, Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7054, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. ulf.magnusson@slu.se.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Magnusson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D002002:Brucella / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013620:Tajikistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial
keywords: Brucellosis; ELISA; Small ruminants; Tajikistan