Seroprevalence of Brucella abortus in dogs and associated risk factors in Gombe State Nigeria

Abstract

To determine the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus in dogs in Gombe state Nigeria and its associated risk factor, a total of 350 dog-sera were tested using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and competitive Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (c-ELISA). Six out of the eleven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the State (two from each senatorial zone) were selected randomly. Household, State/private Veterinary facilities were surveyed while individual dog selection was based on systematic random sampling. Questionnaires were administered to dog owners and handlers to assess their knowledge of the infection, attitudes and practices between May, 2018 and July, 2018. The prevalence of Brucella abortus in the study area was 26.00% with RBPT and 14.86% with c-ELISA. The sero-prevalence of B. abortus in dogs revealed 14.00% to 16.67% range across the LGAs of Gombe State, Nigeria. The prevalence of 18.98% was recorded among adult dogs and 8.21% in puppies. Sero-prevalence of B. abortus in the male was 14.68% and 15.15% in the female dogs. The local breed of dogs had a prevalence of 15.93% while the exotic and a cross breeds had 10.53% and 8.33% respectively. The sero-prevalence of B. abortus was higher in the sick dogs (22.43%) than apparently healthy ones (11.53%). There was a statistically significant association between the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus and age, health status of the dogs (p<0.05) while there was no statistically significant association between the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus and sex, breed of the dogs (P>0.05). From the results, 52% of dog owners were aware of zoonotic diseases from dogs compared to dog handlers (48%), but they all showed poor attitudes towards management systems and hygienic practices aimed at reducing risk of contracting zoonotic diseases. The findings of this study established the seroprevalence of Brucella abortus in dogs in Gombe State Nigeria and risk it poses for both dogs and humans.