Abstract
In this study, milk samples were collected from 109 dairy cows to detect antibodies against Brucella (B.) using Milk Ring Test (MRT). Overall, 18.35% (n=20/109) of the milk samples were positive by MRT. The cows were divided into three groups based on lactation number viz., 1st, 2nd to 4th and ≥5th lactations; the prevalence of brucellosis in the groups were found to be 0.92% (n=1/109), 15.60% (n=17/109) and 1.83% (n=2/109), respectively. Considering simplicity and cost effectiveness, the MRT can be used for the preliminary screening of B. abortus infection especially in single cow herds.
Highlights
Brucellosis is primarily a disease of dairy cows causing economic losses to the livelihoods of many farmers around the world
The group comprising of 2nd to 4th lactations was mostly prevalent (15.60%; n=17/109) with brucellosis as compared to other groups (Table 1)
In the first lactation group, the lower prevalence of brucellosis could be attributed to resistance of sexually immature cattle which become susceptible to the disease with age, or passive immunization of calves through colostrum of their infected dams (Mohammed et al, 2011)
Summary
Brucellosis is primarily a disease of dairy cows causing economic losses to the livelihoods of many farmers around the world. The risk of acquiring infection from unpasteurized milk is a major cause as raw milk is traditionally consumed in India where the hygienic aspects are not always sufficiently considered (Lingathurai and Vellathurai, 2010). A number of serological tests are widely used for the diagnosis of brucellosis because infected cattle may or may not produce all antibody types in detectable levels. The MRT, first described in Germany by Fleischhauer (1937), is used as a routine periodic test for brucellosis free herds and for identifying infected herds. The MRT is an agglutination test conducted on fresh milk collected from dairy cattle, but it does not work on pasteurized or homogenized milk (Fleischhauer, 1937). The MRT, which detects IgM and IgA antibodies bound to fat globules, may have wide acceptability as it is cost effective, easy to perform and can cover a large population in a short time (Cadmus et al, 2008)
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