RESUMO
Background: A cross-sectional study was conducted in selected districts of Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia over a period of November 2019 and September 2020 to estimate seroprevalence and associated risk factors and assess knowledge and practices of smallholder farmers about bovine brucellosis. Two districts and four kebeles from each district were purposively selected, and individual animals were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. A total of 384 sera samples were collected, and concurrently, 236 dairy cattle owners were interviewed. The samples were tested for antibodies against Brucella using both Rose Bengal Plate test and Complement Fixation test following OIE standard protocol. Risk factors associated with bovine brucellosis were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regressions. Results: The survey result has shown that 95% and 97% of the small holder farmers did not know the cause and symptoms of bovine brucellosis, respectively, and the majority have engaged in risky practices. Eight (2.08%) of the collected serum samples were positive with screening test (RBT) and only six (1.5%) were positive with confirmatory test (CFT). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between herd sizes and the disease. The seropositivity of the disease is higher in small-sized herds followed by medium-sized herds. Conclusion: The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis was found to be at a low percentage with confirmatory tests even if there was a presence of associated risk factors for the disease in the study area. Again, the results suggest that smallholder farmers have poor knowledge and risky practices, which expose them to the disease. Awareness creation about the disease is of paramount importance even if the prevalence was low in this serological study. The implementation of a test and slaughter program before the disease becomes widespread, along with the testing of new stock before introduction to the farms is recommended.
RESUMO
Background: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals, which hampers livestock production and productivity in Ethiopia. This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2021 to estimate the seroprevalence of FMD in cattle and to assess farmers' knowledge about the disease in selected districts of the Gamo zone. Three districts and two kebeles (smallest administrative division) from each district were purposively sampled using a simple random sampling technique to select individual animals from each kebeles. A total of 384 sera samples were collected, and concurrently, 100 farmers were interviewed. The samples were tested for antibodies against nonstructural proteins of the FMD virus using a 3ABC enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used to analyze FMD-associated risk factors. Result: The questionnaire survey result revealed that among the interviewed farmers, 66% of farmers had knowledge about the disease, and 28% of farmers reported having a case of FMD in at least one cattle in their farm in the previous 6 months. The overall seroprevalence of FMD in cattle was 26.8%. The multivariable logistic regression revealed that age, breed, and agroecology had a significant association with seropositivity. Higher seroprevalence (64.57%) was observed in lowland, followed by midland (9.30%) and highland (5.88%). Study animals from lowland areas were 9.26 times more likely to be seropositive (OR = 9.26, CI = 2.22-38.62) for FMD than highland animals. Also, adult animals were 9.01 times (OR = 9.01, CI = 3.18-25.53) more likely to be seropositive for the disease than young animals. The multivariable logistic regression revealed that crossbreeds have an 84.7% (OR = 0.153, CI = 0.028-0.82) lower likelihood to be seropositive to FMD than local breeds. Conclusion: This study result confirms that FMD is highly prevalent in the study area, and farmers' knowledge regarding disease transmission and vaccine availability is minimal. Hence the regional concerned bodies should implement FMD vaccination campaigns and create awareness for smallholder farmers regarding the disease transmission, FMD vaccine schedule, and vaccination importance.
