Knowledge and Preventive Practices of Livestock Farmers on Infectious Causes of Reproductive Disorders in Dairy Cows in the Kemb
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Ayele and Leta Animal Diseases (2021) 1:13 https://doi.org/10.1186/s44149-021-00014-8 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Open Access Knowledge and preventive practices of livestock farmers on infectious causes of reproductive disorders in dairy cows in the Kembata Tambaro zone, southern Ethiopia Birhanu Ayele1* and Samson Leta2 Abstract Several studies in Ethiopia have shown a high prevalence of reproductive disorders (RDs) in dairy cows. However, there is a lack of information about the levels of knowledge among farming community about the causes associated with RDs. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study design was administered to 278 livestock farmers (LFs) in the Kembata Tambaro zone to evaluate knowledge and preventive practices on infectious causes of RDs in dairy cows. The results show that almost all farmers had heard about RDs, but more than half did not realize that reproductive system infections (RSIs) could cause RDs in dairy cows. A significant number of participants were not aware of the spread of RSIs between animals through sharing of breeding bulls, ingestion of urine contaminated feed, unhygienic management, sharing of equipment between milking cows, and interactions with contagious animals. The majority of LFs reported that they frequently consulted with traditional healers regarding the treatment of RDs, but very few looked for veterinary assistance. The results of multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that level of education and living areas were factors significantly and positively associated with knowledge about RSIs. Likewise, occupation, level of education and being knowledgeable about RSIs were significantly associated with good preventive practices. Veterinarians and responsible authorities should take these results into consideration to educate farmers on preventing losses attributed to RSIs. Keywords: Dairy cows, RSIs, Livestock farmers, Knowledge, Preventive practices Background 1.48 L milk per cow per day over a lactation period of Ethiopia holds large potential for dairy development due seven months (CSA 2020). Regarding breed types, the to its large livestock population and the favorable cli- majority (97.8%) of the total cattle in the country are matic conditions for improved, high-yield animal breeds local breeds, whereas hybrid and exotic breeds (Ahmed et al. 2004). The country currently manages the accounted for approximately 1.91% and 0.32%, respect- largest livestock population in Africa, estimated at 65.35 ively (CSA 2020). million cattle, 39.9 million sheep, and 50.5 million goats The reproductive performance of modern dairy cows (CSA 2020). There are approximately 12 million dairy globally has decreased over the past 50 years (Softic et al. cows in Ethiopia producing an average of approximately 2020). This scenario is further exacerbated due to the emphasis on the selection and rearing of animals for * Correspondence: [email protected] specific commercial purposes, which compromises live- 1Department of Animal Science, Wachemo University Durame Campus, stock reproduction (Yoo 2010). Reproductive system in- Durame, Ethiopia fections, either specific or nonspecific, significantly Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2021 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data. Ayele and Leta Animal Diseases (2021) 1:13 Page 2 of 8 account for reproductive underperformances in dairy precipitation of the major reproductive health problems cows worldwide (Rosales and Ametaj 2021). Diseases of the area (Mitiku 2017). such as brucellosis, leptospirosis, infectious bovine rhi- Good cooperation between livestock farmers (LFs), notracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), and vib- veterinarians and other organizations involved in live- riosis are known to reduce reproductive capabilities in stock production is essential to implement specific strat- dairy cows (Radostits et al. 2007; Rosales and Ametaj egies to mitigate the risk of disease transmission (Jansen 2021). These diseases are not only related to the pros- et al. 2010; Yoo 2010). Additionally, an evaluation of the perity of livestock industry but also important for public farming community’s awareness of the likely causes of health (World Bank 2010; Ettinger et al. 2017; Radostits RDs could help in designing and implementing effective et al. 2007). disease prevention and control strategies at the farm and Bovine brucellosis caused by Brucella abortus bacteria household levels. Hence, this study was conducted with is responsible for severe economic losses in the livestock the aim of evaluating LFs’ knowledge on RDs with a industry. It causes abortions in female cattle and infertil- focus on infectious causes and their preventive practices ity in males (Rosales and Ametaj 2021). The most com- in the Kembata Tambaro zone of southern Ethiopia. mon route of infection is the digestive tract, through ingestion of feed or water contaminated with the bac- Results teria. As bacteria have an affinity for the reproductive Sociodemographic characteristics tract, abortions, infertility, retained placenta, and birth Table 1 summarized the sociodemographic characteris- to weak calves frequently occur in dairy herds following tics of respondents. Out of the total interviewed respon- disease incidence. Brucellosis can also have severe public dents (n = 278), the majority (62.2%) were in age range health impacts because of its zoonotic potential (World of 38–57 years, with a mean age of 43.3±12. Over three Bank 2010; Ettinger et al. 2017; Hussien 2019; Radostits quarters (78%) were males, 65.8% were rural dwellers, et al. 2007; Yoo 2010). Leptospirosis is an economically and more than half (53.6%) were engaged with farming. important bacterial infection that can affect several spe- Totally 135 respondents (48.6%) received at least pri- cies, including cattle, sheep, horse, dog, pig, wildlife and mary school education. human. The disease can cause abortions, low-grade uter- ine infections, mastitis, repeat breeding, and occasionally Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents systemic infection. The infection is spread mainly when Characteristics Value a susceptible animal is in contact with the urine of in- Age, year, n (%) 43.3 ± 12 fected animals or aborted fetuses (Hussien 2019; Rados- titis et al. 2000; Yoo 2010). IBR and BVD complexes are 23–37 36 (13) virus-induced diseases that cause a wide variety of clin- 38–57 173 (62.2) ical syndromes in cattle, including infertility, respiratory 58–77 69 (24.8) disease (pneumonia), congenital abnormalities (eye and/ Sex, n (%) or brain defects), abortion, and stillbirths (Ettinger et al. Male 217 (78) 2017; Hussien 2019; Overbay 1999; Yoo 2010). Vibriosis Female 61 (22) is a venereal disease of cattle caused by the bacterium Campylobacter fetus and is spread by infected bulls Current address, n (%) when they mate susceptible cows and heifers. The dis- Rural 183 (65.8) ease results in infertility and, occasionally, abortion in Urban 95 (34.2) cattle (Ettinger et al. 2017; Hussien 2019; Radostitis et al. Occupation, n (%) 2000; Yoo 2010). Farmer 149 (53.6) Although smallholder dairy farming significantly en- Trader 57 (20.5) hances the livelihoods of farmers in the Kembata Tam- baro zone (Ayele et al. 2016a; Ayele et al. 2016b; Mitiku Government employee 46 (16.6) 2018), productivity is constrained by several factors, of NGO worker 7 (2.5) which reproductive disorders (RDs) are the most import- Others (driver, preacher, and broker) 19 (6.8) ant (Mitiku 2017). A recent study provided information Level of education, n (%) on the most challenging problems for dairy farmers, No formal education 143 (51.4) such as repeat breeding syndrome, dystocia, retained Primary school 86 (31) fetal membrane, metritis complex, abortion, uterine pro- lapse, and stillbirth, in their order of importance. The High school 19 (6.8) study also investigated Brucella bacteria from the serum College or above 30 (10.8) of sampled cows, suggesting that it is responsible for the Notes: NGO Nongovernment organization, n Number of respondents Ayele and Leta Animal Diseases (2021) 1:13 Page 3 of 8 Knowledge and preventive practices of LFs on education were more knowledgeable [OR = 2.33 (95% CI reproductive system infections (RSIs) 0.35–4.58)] than farmers who had no formal education Respondents’ knowledge and preventive practices relat- (Table 3). ing to RDs is described in Table 2. Nearly all (96.8%) re- In this study, preventive practices of respondents were spondents had heard about RDs in dairy cows, and over evaluated by occupation, level of education, and their 60% (63.5%) perceived that RDs affect dairy cow prod- knowledge of RSIs. The results, therefore, indicated that uctivity. Nevertheless, the majority (60%) did not per- government employees had over four times [OR = 4.13 ceive that microorganisms could cause RDs in dairy (95% CI 2.22–12)] better preventive practices than cows. Similarly, a large number of respondents were not farmers, and traders had nearly three times [OR = 2.85 conscious about the transmission mechanisms of RSIs (95% CI 0.52–5.35)] better preventive practices than between animals, such as hiring or sharing of breeding farmers.