Frequency of occurrence of Brucellosis in goats in Ludhiana District of Punjab State of India

Abstract

Background: We investigated the frequency of Brucellosis in goats in Ludhiana district of Punjab state of India because it is of great public health concern yet there is hardly any report in this regard from this region recently. Methods and materials: All the serum samples from goats were subjected to analysis with four common serodiagnostic techniques – RBPT, STAT, MAT and cELISA. Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination Test (RBPT) RBPT was carried out by colored antigen with the method of Morgan et al. Estimation of Antibody Titers by Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STAT). The standard method recommended by OIE was followed. A titer of 1:40 or above was considered positive. Estimation of Antibody Titers by Microtiter Agglutination Test (MAT) MAT was performed as per the standard method as per OIE. The formation of matt signified agglutination while button formation was indicative of a negative reaction. The titer was expressed in the unit system by doubling of the serum titer as International Units (I.U.) giving at least 50 percent agglutination. Competitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay (cELISA) All the serum samples were subjected to analysis by competitive ELISA employing a commercial kit Svanovir Brucella Antibody cELISA Kit (Svanova). Results: A total of 191 goats from slaughter houses were analyzed with RBPT, STAT, MAT and ELISA. Out of these, 31 goats were positive for Brucellosis by one or more of these tests. Among positives, 14 were detected by RBPT, 17 by STAT, 21 by MAT, and 21 by ELISA; 10 samples were positive and 160 negative by all. ELISA and MAT detected highest number of samples followed by STAT and RBPT. Frequency of Brucellosis in goats in Ludhiana was found as 5.23% by RBPT and ELISA. The mean titers of anti-Brucella antibodies in goats were 36.66 ± 16.32 by STAT and 49.16 ± 29.47 by MAT, with non-significant difference by ‘t’ test. Conclusion: The present study revealed the frequency of occurrence of Brucellosis in goats in Ludhiana district of Punjab to be 5.23% by RBPT and ELISA. This is alarming considering the zoonotic potential of the disease and high consumption of mutton and milk in this region.