High prevalence of Bovine Tuberculosis reported in Cattle and Buffalo of Eastern Nepal

Abstract

AbstractLivestock farming, specifically of cattle and buffalo, is crucial to Nepal’s economy, with more than 66% of the population involved in agriculture and animal husbandry. Animal tuberculosis (TB) caused byMycobacterium bovisis a chronic disease that affects these animals and results in economic losses due to reduced milk and meat productivity, fertility and mortality.M. bovisalso infects humans, non-human primates, goats and other mammals, and can afflict both cattle and buffalo.Our study is a part of routine surveillance of prevalent diseases, includingM. bovis, in cattle and buffalo. We collected blood samples (n=400, 100 samples from each district) from selected eastern districts of Nepal. We used a Rapid Bovine TB Test Kit to test these samples for presence ofM. bovis.Of the 400 samples collected, 74 animals (18.75%) tested positive forM. bovis, with the majority of positive samples coming from cattle (n=71, 17.75%) and only three from buffalo (<1%). Among the screened breeds of cattle and buffalo, Holstein Friesian cattle (HF) (n=43, 58%), Jersey-cross cattle (JX) (n=20, 27%), Local buffalo (n=8, 10.8%) and Murra breed buffalo (n=3, 4.1%) were found to carryM. bovis. The majority (50%) of infected animals were between 3-6 years old. Morang (n= 24 positive in cattle; n=1 positive in buffalo) and Jhapa (n= 22 positive in cattle; n=2 positive in buffalo) had the highest prevalence ofM. bovis, while all the positive cases in Sunsari (n=19) and Udaypur (n=6) were in cattle.The fact that over 18% of the samples tested positive forM. bovisis of great concern. It is critical to thoroughly test animal products from these livestock prior to human consumption. To prevent and mitigateM. bovis-related infections in Nepal, a more comprehensive screening strategy coupled with more effective animal husbandry practices needs to be adapted.