High Prevalence of Bovine Tuberculosis in Dairy Cattle in Central Ethiopia: Implications for the Dairy Industry and Public Health
High Prevalence of Bovine Tuberculosis in Dairy Cattle in Central Ethiopia: Implications for the Dairy Industry and Public Health Rebuma Firdessa1.¤, Rea Tschopp1,4,6., Alehegne Wubete2., Melaku Sombo2, Elena Hailu1, Girume Erenso1, Teklu Kiros1, Lawrence Yamuah1, Martin Vordermeier5, R. Glyn Hewinson5, Douglas Young4, Stephen V. Gordon3, Mesfin Sahile2, Abraham Aseffa1, Stefan Berg5* 1 Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2 National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center, Sebeta, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 3 School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 4 Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom, 5 Department for Bovine Tuberculosis, Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency, Weybridge, Surrey, United Kingdom, 6 Swiss Tropical and Public Health, Basel, Switzerland Abstract Background: Ethiopia has the largest cattle population in Africa. The vast majority of the national herd is of indigenous zebu cattle maintained in rural areas under extensive husbandry systems. However, in response to the increasing demand for milk products and the Ethiopian government’s efforts to improve productivity in the livestock sector, recent years have seen increased intensive husbandry settings holding exotic and cross breeds. This drive for increased productivity is however threatened by animal diseases that thrive under intensive settings, such as bovine tuberculosis (BTB), a disease that is already endemic in Ethiopia. Methodology/Principal Findings: An extensive study was conducted to: estimate the prevalence of BTB in intensive dairy farms in central Ethiopia; identify associated risk factors; and characterize circulating strains of the causative agent, Mycobacterium bovis. The comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CIDT), questionnaire survey, post-mortem examination, bacteriology, and molecular typing were used to get a better understanding of the BTB prevalence among dairy farms in the study area.
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