Seromonitoring of brucellosis in goats and sheep slaughtered at an abattoir in Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

We conducted a cross-sectional serologic study at Kampala City abattoir in Uganda on 287 small ruminants (221 goats and 66 sheep) to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis. The samples were tested using a modified rose bengal test (mRBT) and an indirect ELISA (iELISA). Small ruminant Brucella spp. seropositivity was 18 of 287 (6.3%) by mRBT and 19 of 287 (6.6%) by iELISA. The prevalence of brucellosis by mRBT was non-significantly higher in goats (17 of 221; 7.7%) than in sheep (1 of 66, 1.5%; p = 0.069), and also non-significantly higher by the iELISA in goats (18 of 221; 8.1%) than in sheep (1 of 66, 1.5%; p = 0.057). Brucellosis in slaughtered goats and sheep is a public health hazard to abattoir workers and consumers that calls for control and eradication measures at the farm level, given that testing is not carried out routinely at slaughter points.