Abstract
BackgroundBrucellosis is a major cause of infertility and reproductive failure in livestock. While cattle in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago suffers from reproductive problems information on bovine brucellosis in the region is fragmentary. The control of brucellosis requires a major and prolonged effort and confirmation of the infection by isolation with detailed knowledge of the spread of the infection is essential when planning a control program.ResultsSerological investigation of Brucella infection in beef cattle tended under extensive farming conditions revealed a high seroprevalence (19.3%; 95% CI, 17–22) in the compliment fixation tests. The results of a rapid and simple field test correlated well with the Rose Bengal test (kappa, 0.917) and indicated an acceptable sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (98.1%) compared with the complement fixation test. Reproductive failure was reported for 39.0% of the cows with a loss of calves due to abortion or early death amounting to 19.3%. Past reproductive failure did not, however, correlate with seropositivity in the complement fixation test (RP = 1.21; P = 0.847). B. abortus biovar 1 was freshly isolated from the hygromas of two cows and together with thirty banked isolates collected since 1990 from different parts of Sulawesi and Timor eight related genotypes could be distinguished with one genotype being identical to that of an isolate (BfR91) from Switzerland. The Indonesian genotypes formed together with BfR91 and one African and one North American isolate a distinct branch on the B. abortus biovar 1 dendogram.ConclusionsBovine brucellosis appears to be widespread in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago and calls for urgent intervention. The fresh isolation of the pathogen together with the observed high seroprevalence demonstrates the presence and frequent exposure of cattle in the area to the pathogen. The application of a rapid and simple field test for brucellosis could be very useful for the quick screening of cattle at the pen side.
Highlights
Brucellosis is a major cause of infertility and reproductive failure in livestock
The average seropositivity for brucellosis in cattle was 18.3% in the Rose Bengal test (RBT), 19.3% in the complement fixation test (CFT), and 21.9% for the two assays combined (Table 1)
Bovine brucellosis appears to be widespread in the Eastern Indonesian archipelago: a summary of our laboratory records for samples submitted during the past two year for routine serological testing for brucellosis revealed that seropositive animals have been detected in thirteen out of 30 districts in Sulawesi (N = 2.429 samples; 14.6% seropositive, range 0-100%) investigated, in four out of five districts in the Maluku (N = 768 samples; 3.4% seropositive, range 0–14.4%), and in one out of five districts in Papua (N = 80 samples; 2.5% seropositive, range 0–33.3%)
Summary
Brucellosis is a major cause of infertility and reproductive failure in livestock. Bovine brucellosis is caused by infection with Brucella abortus [2]. This species and B. melitensis and B. suis, the two other Brucella species of veterinarian importance, are highly infectious and pathogenic organisms that cause infertility, abortion within different host cells explains its pathogenicity. Infected cattle may shed the organism via milk and reproductive tract discharges, and can vertically transmit infection to subsequently born calves, thereby maintaining disease transmission. Aborted fetuses from infected animals contain huge numbers of infectious organisms and if not properly disposed form a major source of contamination. Direct contact with infected animals and consumption of contaminated dairy may cause infection in human beings [8]
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