Assessment of Bovine Tuberculosis and Its Risk Factors in Cattle and Humans, at and around Dilla Town, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out from February, 2012 to June, 2013 using comparative intradermal tuberculin (CIDT) test on 440 individual live cattle kept in 118 housholds/farms to determine the prevalence of, and to identify the risk factors associated with, bovine tuberculosis (BTB) infection in cattle and to assess the public awareness on its zoonotic importance through structured questionnaires at and around Dilla town, southern Ethiopia. The herd and individual cattle prevalence of bovine tuberculin positivity were 15.3% (95%, Confidence interval (CI): 8.7 to 21.8) and 4.3% (95%, CI: 2.4 to 6.2), respectively at cut-off greater than 4 mm. The herd prevalence of BTB varied significantly among herd size (P=0.019) and management conditions (P=0.031). Herds which had 5-9 and more than 9 cattle were six (Odds ratio (OR) = 6.4) and twelve (OR=12.0) times more reactive to bovine tuberculin testing than herds that had less than or equals to four cattle in their farms. Among the animal related risk factors only breed (P=0.020) had a significant association with the prevalence of bovine tuberculin positivity with the highest odds ratio in Holstein breeds (OR= 6.1) as compared to Zebu and cross (Holstein X Zebu) breeds. Less than one third (29.7%; 35 of 118) of the respondents recognized BTB, and only 22.9% (27/118) of the respondents had understanding of its zoonotic implication. Awareness rising of cattle owners about BTB and its transmission, and the zoonotic implication of BTB is of extreme importance for effective implementation of TB control measures.