Research ArticleSeroprevalence of Brucellosis andAssociated Risk Factors among Indigenous Breeds ofGoats in Wukari Taraba State Nigeria

Olaolu T Olufemi 1 Danjuma B Dantala2 Paul A Shinggu2

Umesi A Dike2 Gbeminiyi R Otolorin 1 Jivini A Nwuku2

Eyiojo B T Baba-Onoja2 Tenmuso D Jatau2 and Francis I Amama2

1Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine Faculty of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of Jos Plateau State Nigeria2Department of Animal Production and Health Faculty of Agriculture and Life SciencesFederal University Wukari Taraba State Nigeria

Correspondence should be addressed to Olaolu T Olufemi toscoolufemigmailcom

Received 31 May 2018 Revised 27 September 2018 Accepted 15 October 2018 Published 1 November 2018

Academic Editor Nongnuch Vanittanakom

Copyright copy 2018 Olaolu T Olufemi et al This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original work is properlycited

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Wukari Taraba state Nigeria to determine the prevalence of Brucella antibodies and therisk factors associated with brucellosis in indigenous breeds of goats A total of 386 goats were sampled from three political wardsPuje Avyi and Hospital harvested sera samples were subjected to Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) GraphPad Prism version 703 forWindows (GraphPad Software La Jolla California USA) was used to analyse the association between seroprevalence of brucellosisand age sex breed location and management system by using Chi square and Fisherrsquos exact test as appropriate Brucellosis wasdetected in all three wards Puje 15 Avyi 66 and Hospital 76 A prevalence rate of 28 8 187 and 1 was recordedfor lt20-month 22-35-month 36-45-month and ge46-55-month age categories respectively (P lt 005) Only 95 was observedfor male animals while 98 was observed for female animals with no statistical difference between the males and females Breed-specific seroprevalence yielded 74 54 12 128 and 116 for CrossWest Africa Dwarf Red Sokoto Kano Brown and Sahelbreeds of goat respectivelyThere is an evidence of brucellosis (96) inWukari LGA Taraba State and age is a risk factor for thedisease in the study area There is a need to enlighten the public on the zoonotic potentials and economic impacts of brucellosis

1 Introduction

Brucellosis is recognised as one of the neglected tropicalzoonotic diseases with a serious worldwide public healthimportance caused by members of the genus Brucella [1ndash3]There are a total of 11 species [4] with Brucella melitensis Bsuis and B abortus in goats pigs and cattle respectivelybeen the most important cause of morbidity and mortalityworldwide [5] Brucellosis in sheep desert wood rats dogspinnipeds cetaceans common voles (Microtus arvalis) andbaboons is caused by B ovis B neonate B canis B pinni-pedialis B ceti B microti and B papionis respectively Binopinata has been isolated in humans solely [6]

Brucellosis is endemic in ruminants in Nigeria with dev-astating economic and public health impacts ranging fromretarded calving and decreased calving rate culling due toinfertility decreased milk yield abortions still births birth ofweakly animals and loss of man hours (in humans) to cost oftreatment [7] Several reports have been documented on farmanimal brucellosis across different countries inNigeria [7ndash11]A prevalence of 161 was reported in Plateau State [12] while86 was reported in Lagos State [13] In the north-centralnorth-eastern south-western regions of Nigeria 258 14and 086 prevalence were recorded respectively in goats[9 14 15] This study is the first investigation of brucellosis inWukari wheremost of the dwellers keep goats as a livestock at

HindawiJournal of PathogensVolume 2018 Article ID 5257926 5 pageshttpsdoiorg10115520185257926

2 Journal of Pathogens

home thus increasing their likelihood of exposure to Brucellamelitensis themost pathogenic Brucella species that is knownto affect humans [3]

Goats are a major source of meat supply in Wukari witha huge proportion of households keeping these animals as asource of income Extensive management system is the pre-dominant husbandry practice along with seasonal confine-ment where animals are tethered or allowed to graze freelyduring daylight in rainy season and allowed to fend forthemselves in dry seasons

In Wukari Taraba state the prevalence of brucellosis ingoats have not been investigated and the factors associatedwith the infection is unknown However there are reports ofruminant brucellosis in other parts of the state Jalingo (20)Zing (199) and Ardo-Kola (155) [16] Several reports ofbrucellosis in small ruminants across Nigeria exist [9 17ndash23]The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalenceof brucellosis and associated risk factors among indigenousbreeds of goats in Wukari Taraba State Nigeria

2 Methodology

21 Study Area The study was conducted in Wukari metro-polis of Taraba state an ancient town in Kwararafa kingdomWukari is located in the guinea savanna region with both lowforest and grassland vegetation It lies within the coordinateslatitude 7∘511015840 North and 9∘471015840 East Most people in Wukariderive their livelihood from agriculture

22 StudyDesign Across-sectional approach involving goatswas conducted in the political wards in Wukari Puje Avyiand Hospital Data was collected over a period of threemonths across the three political wards inWukari It involvedrandom sample collection from households and selectedslaughter slabs following consent Serological test and ques-tionnaire survey were used as a tool for the determination theprevalence of brucellosis and assess the risk factors associatedwith age sex specie and breed

23 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure With an expectedprevalence of 20 [16] desired absolute precision (d) of 5and confidence level of 95 the sample size was calculated tobe 236 [24] A contingency of 635 was added and the sam-ple was adjusted to 386

Purposive sampling of the wards was carried out byaseptically collecting of 5ml of blood by jugular venipunctureof each animal using 10ml syringe and 21G needle followingproper restraint Blood samples were labeled and transportedon ice pack to the laboratory where they were slanted andallowed to stand at room temperature overnight Clear serawere harvested into labeled cryovials and stored at -20∘Cin the biology laboratory Federal University Wukari untilneeded for further analysis

24 Laboratory Analysis The sera were screened for antibod-ies against natural Brucella infection using Rose Bengal Plate-agglutination test (RBPT) standard protocol [25] The RoseBengal test antigen used was sourced from IDvet InnovativeDiagnostics France Serum stored at minus20∘C was centrifuged

to room temperature (37∘C) using Centurion bench top cen-trifuge Only 30 120583l of the serum sample was placed on a cleanglass slide and an equal volume of antigen A sterile plasticapplicator was then used to mix the serum and the antigenthoroughly before slowly rocking it for 4min to observe foragglutination The result was appreciated by examining thedegree of agglutination Any visible agglutination was consid-ered as positive while an absence of it was recorded negative

25 Statistical Analysis Data obtained were summarized andentered into Microsoft Excel 10 spreadsheet (Microsoft Cor-poration Redmond WA USA) with the result for each testrecorded Descriptive and analytical statistics were used toexplain the dataWe evaluated significant differences betweenseroprevalence of brucellosis and age sex breed location andmanagement system by using Chi square and Fisherrsquos exacttest as appropriate GraphPadPrismversion 703 forWindows(GraphPad Software La Jolla California USA) was used toperform analysis In all analysis confidence level was at 95and values of Plt005 was considered significant

3 Results

31 Seroprevalence of Brucella Antibodies in Goats Sampled inWukari LGABased onWards Among the 386 sera screenedfor Brucella antibodies 37 (96) were positive for RoseBengal Plate Test (RBPT) Only 120 (131) 122 (316) and144 (373) goats were sampled in Puje Avyi and Hospitalwards yielding a location specific seroprevalence of 18 (15)8 (66) and 11 (76) respectively There was no statisticallysignificant association (pgt005) between Brucella antibodiesand the wards sampled (Table 1)

32 Seroprevalence of Antibodies Reactive to Brucella Antigenin Goats Sampled in Wukari Based on Age Sex and BreedA total of 71 (184) 199 (516) 96 (249) and 20 (51)goats were sampled for the age categories which yielded2 (28) 16 (80) 18 (87) and 1 (50) positives forthe ages of lt20 months 22-35 months 36-45 months and46-55months and above respectivelyTherewas a statisticallysignificant difference (plt005) between age and the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in goats sampled (Table 2) inWukariLGA

The sex specific seroprevalence revealed 95 and 98for male (264) and female (122) goats respectively (Table 2)There was no statistically significant association (Pgt005) be-tween sex of goats sampled and the presence of brucellosis inWukari LGA

Breed-specific seroprevalence yielded 120 128116 54 and 74 for Red Sokoto Kano brown SahelWest African Dwarf and Cross breeds from 100 78 43 111and 54 goats sampled respectively There was no statisticallysignificant association (Pgt005) between breed of goats andthe presence of brucellosis in Wukari LGA

4 Discussion

The results of this study have shown that antibodies tobrucellosis are present in goats in Wukari metropolis with anoverall seroprevalence of 96

Journal of Pathogens 3

Table 1 Seroprevalence of antibodies to brucellosis in goats sampled in Wukari based on wards

Wards Number of sera tested Number of positive () Odds ratio 95 CI P-value(OR) On OR

Puje 120 18 (15) 100 0050Avyi 122 8 (66) 251 109-574 -Hospital 144 11 (76) 165 074-359 -Total 386 37 (96)

Table 2 Seroprevalence of antibodies to Brucella in goats sample in Wukari based on age sex and breeds

VARIABLES NUMBER OF SERA TESTED NUMBER OF POSITIVE () ODDS RATIO 95 CI P-VALUE(OR) On OR

AGElt20 months 71 2 (28) 171 011-152 000722-35 months 199 16 (80) 060 006-35136-45 months 96 18 (187) 023 002-13346-55 months and above 20 1 (50) 100SEXMale 264 25 (95) 096 048-194 0909Female 122 12 (98)BREEDRed Sokoto 100 12 (120) 100 0360Kano Brown 78 10 (128) 093 040-231Sahel 43 5 (116) 104 033-281West African Dwarf goat 111 6 (54) 239 087-653Cross 54 4 (74) 170 058-502TOTAL 386 37 (96)

The seropositivity of 96 using Rose Bengal Plate Test(RBPT) is higher than that obtained by Ogugua et al 2014whose findings revealed an overall seroprevalence of 283of brucellosis among goats screened across four states inNigeria This shows that brucellosis is endemic in Nigeriangoats constituting a source of spread of the bacteria in spiteof the paucity of data on brucellosis in goats in Wukari Theprevalence is higher than 19 in pastoral goats in easternEthiopia [26] and 2 reported in Uganda [27] A higheroverall prevalence of 182 in three selected local governmentareas in Taraba state is probably due to the inclusion of cattleand sheep although a high prevalence in goats (20) canbe attributed to the smaller sample size used in the studycompared to this

The seroprevalence of brucellosis in this study is lowerthan that reported by Al majali (277) and Hamidullahet al 2009 (3488) in Jordan where positive sera withRose Bengal Plate Test were further tested with complementfixation test for confirmation using standard Brucella abortusantigen It is moreover lower than (1610) in northern Nige-ria [28] and 4575 reported in the outbreak of brucellosisin Abeokuta [20] and also (1360) in the herds of goats innorth-eastern Ethiopia [29] The seroprevalence obtained inthis study is comparable with the findings of other researchersin Nigeria 1035 by Alhaji and Wungak (2013) 582 by

Cadmus et al (2006) 6 by Cadmus et al (2010) and628 by Ishola and Ogundipe [30]The 96 seroprevalencein Wukari is probably due to the hardy nature of theBrucellaorganisms being able to survive harsh environmentalcondition remaining viable and infective [31ndash33] Goats inthe study area are often introduced into herds withoutprior quarantining Furthermore seropositivity within goatssampled in Puje ward was (150) higher than those sampledin Hospital (76) and Avyi (66) However it can beobserved that the seroprevalence recorded in Puje is dueto urbanization and densely populated pattern of settlementwhich is relatively higher than in Hospital and Avyi Thiscould be due to different source of purchase [12]

This study recorded a statistically significant association(plt005) between age specific prevalence and Brucella anti-bodies with goats between 36 and 45 months old having thehighest prevalence (187) This could probably be becausesusceptibility to brucellosis increases after sexual maturityand pregnancy Exposure also occurs during mating andfeeding on contaminated pasture and water This findingis similar to the reports of Bertu et al (2010) Farouk etal [34] Bala (2013) and Zubairu et al 2014 The higherseroprevalence of Brucella antibodies in males observed inthis study is probably because of the innate aggression andhigh libido in males Traditionally a buck is exposed to more

4 Journal of Pathogens

females during mating increasing its chances of infectionThis finding disagrees with the reports of Adugba et al (2006)and Ashenafi et al [35] but agrees with other studies [10 14]

The breed-specific seroprevalence revealed no significantassociation (plt005) between seropositivity and breed of thegoats sampled Although Brucella infection is not breed spe-cific [36 37] the highest seroprevalence was recorded amongthe Red Sokoto breed when compared to Kano brown SahelWest African Dwarf and Cross breeds This report is inline with Junaidu et al (2010) and Tijjani et al (2009) whoreported highest prevalence of brucellosis in Red Sokotobreed This finding however is in contrast with the findingsof Dogo et al 2016

Goats purchased from the markets recorded higherprevalence compared to those inherited Goats are obtainedfrom different areas and locations [12] This report is similarto reports in Adamawa Kaduna and Kano States respec-tively [7] There is a high possibility that infections will bemaintained longer in inherited animals On the abortionhistory 118 and 104 indicate the rates of abortion How-ever abortion is strongly associated with brucellosis similarfindings had been reported [18 38 39] Seroprevalenceof brucellosis and antibodies according to respondents toretained placenta showed that a total 43 and 133 recorded forYes and No The specific rates of 116 and 105 from therespondents show that retained placenta is associated withbrucellosis strongly

This study investigated the management systems of ani-mals intensive semi-intensive and extensive system Thehighest rate recorded in semi-intensive system is probablydue to out-grazing with different herds and shedding of thedisease in pen upon return from pasture grazing and mating

The highest seroprevalence observed when animals arefed collectively could be as a result of contamination of feedfeeding trough and other fomitesThis study recorded 33 and143 for those who consume goats milk and those who do notspecific rate shows that 91 consumed goats milk while112 do not However consumers of goat milk are at highrisk of brucellosis

The rate at which aborted materials were disposed ishigh by burning followed by buried and thrown into bushat a specific rate of 250 118 92 and 43 This isdue to picking by carnivorous animals (dog) Hand washingpracticed showed 124 and 52 respondents who washed theirhands and those who do not specific rate indicates that 129and 77 were among those who practiced hand washing andthose who do care to wash their hands This is probably dueto odour of the animals and their discharge

5 Conclusion

There is an evidence of brucellosis in Wukari with an overallseroprevalence of 96This constitutes high potential risk ofinfection and serious public health significance It poses greatrisks to the livestock population livestock owners abattoirworkers meat vendors livestock marketers and professionalanimal health workers in Wukari LGA Taraba State Ageis a risk factor to Brucella infection in goats in the studyarea There is need for awareness on the economic and publichealth implications of brucellosis

Data Availability

All data used to support the findings are included within thearticle

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest

References

[1] WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) Brucellosis in Humans andAnimals WHO Geneva Switzerland 2006

[2] World Health Organisation (WHO) Integrated Control ofNeglected Zoonotic Diseases in Africa Applying the OneHealthConceptWHODocument Production Services GenevaSwitzerland 2009

[3] OIE ldquoBovine Brucellosisrdquo in Terrestrial Manual chapter 2432018 httpwwwoieint

[4] E A Smirnova A V Vasin N T Sandybaer et al ldquoCurrentmethods of human and animal brucellosis diagnosisrdquo Advancesin Infectious Diseases vol 3 pp 177ndash184 2013

[5] A E Ciocchini D A R Serantes L J Melli et al ldquoA bacterialengineered glycoprotein as a novel antigen for diagnosis ofbovine brucellosisrdquo Veterinary Microbiology vol 172 no 3-4pp 455ndash465 2014

[6] A M Whatmore N Davison A Cloeckaert et al ldquoBrucellapapionis sp nov isolated from baboons (Papio spp)rdquo Interna-tional Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology vol64 pp 4120ndash4128 2014

[7] H M Mai P C Irons J Kabir and P N Thompson ldquoA largeseroprevalence survey of brucellosis in cattle herds under di-verse production systems in northernNigeriardquo BMCVeterinaryResearch vol 8 article no 144 2012

[8] R A Ocholi J K P Kwaga I Ajogi and J O O Bale ldquoAbortiondue to Brucella abortus in sheep in Nigeriardquo Revue Scientifiqueet Technique de lrsquoOIE vol 24 no 3 pp 973ndash979 2005

[9] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan B O Adedokun and J AStack ldquoSeroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in trade cattle slau-ghtered in Ibadan Nigeria from 2004ndash2006rdquo Journal of theSouth African Veterinary Association vol 81 pp 50ndash53 2010

[10] A U Junaidu A I Daneji M D Salihu et al ldquoPrevalence ofBrucellosis in Goat in Sokoto Nigeriardquo Current Research Jour-nal of Biological Sciences vol 2 no 4 pp 275ndash277 2010

[11] A J Ogugua V O Akinseye M C Ayoola et al ldquoSeropreva-lence and risk factors of brucellosis in goats in selected states inNigeria and the public health implicationsrdquo African Journal ofMedicine and Medical Science vol 43 no 1 pp 121ndash129 2014

[12] W J Bertu I Ajogi J OO Bale J K P Kwaga andRAOcholildquoSero-epidemiology of brucellosis in small ruminants in PlateauState Nigeriardquo African Journal of Microbiology Research vol 4no 19 pp 1935ndash1938 2010

[13] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan and J Stack ldquoThe use of themilk ring test and rose bengal test in brucellosis control anderadication in Nigeriardquo Journal of the South African VeterinaryAssociation vol 79 no 3 pp 113ndash115 2008

[14] A O Tijjani H I Musa O Ousoumanou and O O AkitotaldquoPrevalence of Brucellosis in food Animals slaughter at Dama-turu abattoir Yobe staterdquo Sahel Journal of Veterinary Science vol8 no 1 pp 55ndash60 2009

Journal of Pathogens 3

Table 1 Seroprevalence of antibodies to brucellosis in goats sampled in Wukari based on wards

Wards Number of sera tested Number of positive () Odds ratio 95 CI P-value(OR) On OR

Puje 120 18 (15) 100 0050Avyi 122 8 (66) 251 109-574 -Hospital 144 11 (76) 165 074-359 -Total 386 37 (96)

Table 2 Seroprevalence of antibodies to Brucella in goats sample in Wukari based on age sex and breeds

VARIABLES NUMBER OF SERA TESTED NUMBER OF POSITIVE () ODDS RATIO 95 CI P-VALUE(OR) On OR

AGElt20 months 71 2 (28) 171 011-152 000722-35 months 199 16 (80) 060 006-35136-45 months 96 18 (187) 023 002-13346-55 months and above 20 1 (50) 100SEXMale 264 25 (95) 096 048-194 0909Female 122 12 (98)BREEDRed Sokoto 100 12 (120) 100 0360Kano Brown 78 10 (128) 093 040-231Sahel 43 5 (116) 104 033-281West African Dwarf goat 111 6 (54) 239 087-653Cross 54 4 (74) 170 058-502TOTAL 386 37 (96)

The seropositivity of 96 using Rose Bengal Plate Test(RBPT) is higher than that obtained by Ogugua et al 2014whose findings revealed an overall seroprevalence of 283of brucellosis among goats screened across four states inNigeria This shows that brucellosis is endemic in Nigeriangoats constituting a source of spread of the bacteria in spiteof the paucity of data on brucellosis in goats in Wukari Theprevalence is higher than 19 in pastoral goats in easternEthiopia [26] and 2 reported in Uganda [27] A higheroverall prevalence of 182 in three selected local governmentareas in Taraba state is probably due to the inclusion of cattleand sheep although a high prevalence in goats (20) canbe attributed to the smaller sample size used in the studycompared to this

The seroprevalence of brucellosis in this study is lowerthan that reported by Al majali (277) and Hamidullahet al 2009 (3488) in Jordan where positive sera withRose Bengal Plate Test were further tested with complementfixation test for confirmation using standard Brucella abortusantigen It is moreover lower than (1610) in northern Nige-ria [28] and 4575 reported in the outbreak of brucellosisin Abeokuta [20] and also (1360) in the herds of goats innorth-eastern Ethiopia [29] The seroprevalence obtained inthis study is comparable with the findings of other researchersin Nigeria 1035 by Alhaji and Wungak (2013) 582 by

Cadmus et al (2006) 6 by Cadmus et al (2010) and628 by Ishola and Ogundipe [30]The 96 seroprevalencein Wukari is probably due to the hardy nature of theBrucellaorganisms being able to survive harsh environmentalcondition remaining viable and infective [31ndash33] Goats inthe study area are often introduced into herds withoutprior quarantining Furthermore seropositivity within goatssampled in Puje ward was (150) higher than those sampledin Hospital (76) and Avyi (66) However it can beobserved that the seroprevalence recorded in Puje is dueto urbanization and densely populated pattern of settlementwhich is relatively higher than in Hospital and Avyi Thiscould be due to different source of purchase [12]

This study recorded a statistically significant association(plt005) between age specific prevalence and Brucella anti-bodies with goats between 36 and 45 months old having thehighest prevalence (187) This could probably be becausesusceptibility to brucellosis increases after sexual maturityand pregnancy Exposure also occurs during mating andfeeding on contaminated pasture and water This findingis similar to the reports of Bertu et al (2010) Farouk etal [34] Bala (2013) and Zubairu et al 2014 The higherseroprevalence of Brucella antibodies in males observed inthis study is probably because of the innate aggression andhigh libido in males Traditionally a buck is exposed to more

4 Journal of Pathogens

females during mating increasing its chances of infectionThis finding disagrees with the reports of Adugba et al (2006)and Ashenafi et al [35] but agrees with other studies [10 14]

The breed-specific seroprevalence revealed no significantassociation (plt005) between seropositivity and breed of thegoats sampled Although Brucella infection is not breed spe-cific [36 37] the highest seroprevalence was recorded amongthe Red Sokoto breed when compared to Kano brown SahelWest African Dwarf and Cross breeds This report is inline with Junaidu et al (2010) and Tijjani et al (2009) whoreported highest prevalence of brucellosis in Red Sokotobreed This finding however is in contrast with the findingsof Dogo et al 2016

Goats purchased from the markets recorded higherprevalence compared to those inherited Goats are obtainedfrom different areas and locations [12] This report is similarto reports in Adamawa Kaduna and Kano States respec-tively [7] There is a high possibility that infections will bemaintained longer in inherited animals On the abortionhistory 118 and 104 indicate the rates of abortion How-ever abortion is strongly associated with brucellosis similarfindings had been reported [18 38 39] Seroprevalenceof brucellosis and antibodies according to respondents toretained placenta showed that a total 43 and 133 recorded forYes and No The specific rates of 116 and 105 from therespondents show that retained placenta is associated withbrucellosis strongly

This study investigated the management systems of ani-mals intensive semi-intensive and extensive system Thehighest rate recorded in semi-intensive system is probablydue to out-grazing with different herds and shedding of thedisease in pen upon return from pasture grazing and mating

The highest seroprevalence observed when animals arefed collectively could be as a result of contamination of feedfeeding trough and other fomitesThis study recorded 33 and143 for those who consume goats milk and those who do notspecific rate shows that 91 consumed goats milk while112 do not However consumers of goat milk are at highrisk of brucellosis

The rate at which aborted materials were disposed ishigh by burning followed by buried and thrown into bushat a specific rate of 250 118 92 and 43 This isdue to picking by carnivorous animals (dog) Hand washingpracticed showed 124 and 52 respondents who washed theirhands and those who do not specific rate indicates that 129and 77 were among those who practiced hand washing andthose who do care to wash their hands This is probably dueto odour of the animals and their discharge

5 Conclusion

There is an evidence of brucellosis in Wukari with an overallseroprevalence of 96This constitutes high potential risk ofinfection and serious public health significance It poses greatrisks to the livestock population livestock owners abattoirworkers meat vendors livestock marketers and professionalanimal health workers in Wukari LGA Taraba State Ageis a risk factor to Brucella infection in goats in the studyarea There is need for awareness on the economic and publichealth implications of brucellosis

Data Availability

All data used to support the findings are included within thearticle

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest

References

[1] WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) Brucellosis in Humans andAnimals WHO Geneva Switzerland 2006

[2] World Health Organisation (WHO) Integrated Control ofNeglected Zoonotic Diseases in Africa Applying the OneHealthConceptWHODocument Production Services GenevaSwitzerland 2009

[3] OIE ldquoBovine Brucellosisrdquo in Terrestrial Manual chapter 2432018 httpwwwoieint

[4] E A Smirnova A V Vasin N T Sandybaer et al ldquoCurrentmethods of human and animal brucellosis diagnosisrdquo Advancesin Infectious Diseases vol 3 pp 177ndash184 2013

[5] A E Ciocchini D A R Serantes L J Melli et al ldquoA bacterialengineered glycoprotein as a novel antigen for diagnosis ofbovine brucellosisrdquo Veterinary Microbiology vol 172 no 3-4pp 455ndash465 2014

[6] A M Whatmore N Davison A Cloeckaert et al ldquoBrucellapapionis sp nov isolated from baboons (Papio spp)rdquo Interna-tional Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology vol64 pp 4120ndash4128 2014

[7] H M Mai P C Irons J Kabir and P N Thompson ldquoA largeseroprevalence survey of brucellosis in cattle herds under di-verse production systems in northernNigeriardquo BMCVeterinaryResearch vol 8 article no 144 2012

[8] R A Ocholi J K P Kwaga I Ajogi and J O O Bale ldquoAbortiondue to Brucella abortus in sheep in Nigeriardquo Revue Scientifiqueet Technique de lrsquoOIE vol 24 no 3 pp 973ndash979 2005

[9] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan B O Adedokun and J AStack ldquoSeroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in trade cattle slau-ghtered in Ibadan Nigeria from 2004ndash2006rdquo Journal of theSouth African Veterinary Association vol 81 pp 50ndash53 2010

[10] A U Junaidu A I Daneji M D Salihu et al ldquoPrevalence ofBrucellosis in Goat in Sokoto Nigeriardquo Current Research Jour-nal of Biological Sciences vol 2 no 4 pp 275ndash277 2010

[11] A J Ogugua V O Akinseye M C Ayoola et al ldquoSeropreva-lence and risk factors of brucellosis in goats in selected states inNigeria and the public health implicationsrdquo African Journal ofMedicine and Medical Science vol 43 no 1 pp 121ndash129 2014

[12] W J Bertu I Ajogi J OO Bale J K P Kwaga andRAOcholildquoSero-epidemiology of brucellosis in small ruminants in PlateauState Nigeriardquo African Journal of Microbiology Research vol 4no 19 pp 1935ndash1938 2010

[13] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan and J Stack ldquoThe use of themilk ring test and rose bengal test in brucellosis control anderadication in Nigeriardquo Journal of the South African VeterinaryAssociation vol 79 no 3 pp 113ndash115 2008

[14] A O Tijjani H I Musa O Ousoumanou and O O AkitotaldquoPrevalence of Brucellosis in food Animals slaughter at Dama-turu abattoir Yobe staterdquo Sahel Journal of Veterinary Science vol8 no 1 pp 55ndash60 2009

4 Journal of Pathogens

females during mating increasing its chances of infectionThis finding disagrees with the reports of Adugba et al (2006)and Ashenafi et al [35] but agrees with other studies [10 14]

The breed-specific seroprevalence revealed no significantassociation (plt005) between seropositivity and breed of thegoats sampled Although Brucella infection is not breed spe-cific [36 37] the highest seroprevalence was recorded amongthe Red Sokoto breed when compared to Kano brown SahelWest African Dwarf and Cross breeds This report is inline with Junaidu et al (2010) and Tijjani et al (2009) whoreported highest prevalence of brucellosis in Red Sokotobreed This finding however is in contrast with the findingsof Dogo et al 2016

Goats purchased from the markets recorded higherprevalence compared to those inherited Goats are obtainedfrom different areas and locations [12] This report is similarto reports in Adamawa Kaduna and Kano States respec-tively [7] There is a high possibility that infections will bemaintained longer in inherited animals On the abortionhistory 118 and 104 indicate the rates of abortion How-ever abortion is strongly associated with brucellosis similarfindings had been reported [18 38 39] Seroprevalenceof brucellosis and antibodies according to respondents toretained placenta showed that a total 43 and 133 recorded forYes and No The specific rates of 116 and 105 from therespondents show that retained placenta is associated withbrucellosis strongly

This study investigated the management systems of ani-mals intensive semi-intensive and extensive system Thehighest rate recorded in semi-intensive system is probablydue to out-grazing with different herds and shedding of thedisease in pen upon return from pasture grazing and mating

The highest seroprevalence observed when animals arefed collectively could be as a result of contamination of feedfeeding trough and other fomitesThis study recorded 33 and143 for those who consume goats milk and those who do notspecific rate shows that 91 consumed goats milk while112 do not However consumers of goat milk are at highrisk of brucellosis

The rate at which aborted materials were disposed ishigh by burning followed by buried and thrown into bushat a specific rate of 250 118 92 and 43 This isdue to picking by carnivorous animals (dog) Hand washingpracticed showed 124 and 52 respondents who washed theirhands and those who do not specific rate indicates that 129and 77 were among those who practiced hand washing andthose who do care to wash their hands This is probably dueto odour of the animals and their discharge

5 Conclusion

There is an evidence of brucellosis in Wukari with an overallseroprevalence of 96This constitutes high potential risk ofinfection and serious public health significance It poses greatrisks to the livestock population livestock owners abattoirworkers meat vendors livestock marketers and professionalanimal health workers in Wukari LGA Taraba State Ageis a risk factor to Brucella infection in goats in the studyarea There is need for awareness on the economic and publichealth implications of brucellosis

Data Availability

All data used to support the findings are included within thearticle

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest

References

[1] WorldHealth Organisation (WHO) Brucellosis in Humans andAnimals WHO Geneva Switzerland 2006

[2] World Health Organisation (WHO) Integrated Control ofNeglected Zoonotic Diseases in Africa Applying the OneHealthConceptWHODocument Production Services GenevaSwitzerland 2009

[3] OIE ldquoBovine Brucellosisrdquo in Terrestrial Manual chapter 2432018 httpwwwoieint

[4] E A Smirnova A V Vasin N T Sandybaer et al ldquoCurrentmethods of human and animal brucellosis diagnosisrdquo Advancesin Infectious Diseases vol 3 pp 177ndash184 2013

[5] A E Ciocchini D A R Serantes L J Melli et al ldquoA bacterialengineered glycoprotein as a novel antigen for diagnosis ofbovine brucellosisrdquo Veterinary Microbiology vol 172 no 3-4pp 455ndash465 2014

[6] A M Whatmore N Davison A Cloeckaert et al ldquoBrucellapapionis sp nov isolated from baboons (Papio spp)rdquo Interna-tional Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology vol64 pp 4120ndash4128 2014

[7] H M Mai P C Irons J Kabir and P N Thompson ldquoA largeseroprevalence survey of brucellosis in cattle herds under di-verse production systems in northernNigeriardquo BMCVeterinaryResearch vol 8 article no 144 2012

[8] R A Ocholi J K P Kwaga I Ajogi and J O O Bale ldquoAbortiondue to Brucella abortus in sheep in Nigeriardquo Revue Scientifiqueet Technique de lrsquoOIE vol 24 no 3 pp 973ndash979 2005

[9] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan B O Adedokun and J AStack ldquoSeroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in trade cattle slau-ghtered in Ibadan Nigeria from 2004ndash2006rdquo Journal of theSouth African Veterinary Association vol 81 pp 50ndash53 2010

[10] A U Junaidu A I Daneji M D Salihu et al ldquoPrevalence ofBrucellosis in Goat in Sokoto Nigeriardquo Current Research Jour-nal of Biological Sciences vol 2 no 4 pp 275ndash277 2010

[11] A J Ogugua V O Akinseye M C Ayoola et al ldquoSeropreva-lence and risk factors of brucellosis in goats in selected states inNigeria and the public health implicationsrdquo African Journal ofMedicine and Medical Science vol 43 no 1 pp 121ndash129 2014

[12] W J Bertu I Ajogi J OO Bale J K P Kwaga andRAOcholildquoSero-epidemiology of brucellosis in small ruminants in PlateauState Nigeriardquo African Journal of Microbiology Research vol 4no 19 pp 1935ndash1938 2010

[13] S I B Cadmus H K Adesokan and J Stack ldquoThe use of themilk ring test and rose bengal test in brucellosis control anderadication in Nigeriardquo Journal of the South African VeterinaryAssociation vol 79 no 3 pp 113ndash115 2008

[14] A O Tijjani H I Musa O Ousoumanou and O O AkitotaldquoPrevalence of Brucellosis in food Animals slaughter at Dama-turu abattoir Yobe staterdquo Sahel Journal of Veterinary Science vol8 no 1 pp 55ndash60 2009

Journal of Pathogens 5

[15] B Y Kaltungo Survey of brucellosis in sheep and goats in KadunaNorth Senatorial District of Kaduna State Nigeria Departmentof Veterinary Medicine [MScThesis] AhmaduBello UniversityZaria Nigeria 2013

[16] A Zubairu M Ardo and H Mai ldquoSeroprevalence of ruminantbrucellosis in three selected local government areas of Tarabastaterdquo Sokoto Journal of Veterinary Sciences vol 12 no 1 p 512014

[17] P A Okewole E N Eze A E J Okoh I L Oyetunde and P SOdeyemi ldquoSmall ruminant brucellosis in some parts of North-ernNigeriardquo Bulletin of AnimalHealth and Production in Africavol 36 pp 251ndash254 1988

[18] F Brisibe D R Nawathe and C J Bot ldquoSheep and goat brucel-losis in Borno and Yobe States of arid northeastern NigeriardquoSmall Ruminant Research vol 20 no 1 pp 83ndash88 1996

[19] L M Shehu H Yusuf A C Kudi and D U Kalla ldquoSero-pre-valence of brucellosis in ruminants in Bauchi and environsrdquoNigerian Veterinary Journal vol 20 no 1 pp 67ndash74 1999

[20] O E Ojo M A Oyekunle S O Omotainse R A Ocholi A OOgunleye and W J Bertu ldquoSerological evidence of Brucellosisin goats flock with recurrent abortion Abeokutardquo Nigeria Tro-pical Veterinary vol 25 no 1 pp 26ndash33 2007

[21] S I B Cadmus P I Alabi H K Adesokan E J Dale and J AStack ldquoSerological investigation of bovine brucellosis in threecattle production systems in Yewa division south-westernNigeriardquo Journal of the SouthAfricanVeterinaryAssociation vol84 no 1 6 pages 2013

[22] R Dogo B Maikai J Musa and J Tizhe ldquoBrucella Prevalencein Goats and Farmersrsquo Awareness and Practices towards Bru-cella Infection in Giwa Area of Kaduna State Nigeriardquo BritishMicrobiology Research Journal vol 16 no 3 pp 1ndash12 2016

[23] NBAlhaji Y SWungak andW J Bertu ldquoSerological survey ofbovine brucellosis in Fulani nomadic cattle breeds (Bos indicus)of North-central Nigeria Potential risk factors and zoonoticimplicationsrdquo Acta Tropica vol 153 pp 28ndash35 2016

[24] M VThrushfieldVeterinary Epidemiology University of Edin-burgh Blackwell Science 2nd edition 2005

[25] OIE ldquoManual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for TerrestrialAnimalsrdquo 2012

[26] S Teshale Z Aschalew A Gelagay and A K Basu ldquoPrelimi-nary study on prevalence of Brucella antibodies in sheep andgoats in Borana Southern Ethiopiardquo Journal of Natural Historyvol 2 no 1 pp 7ndash10 2006

[27] E K Kabagambe P H Elzer J P Geaghan J Opuda-Asibo DT Scholl and J E Miller ldquoRisk factors for Brucella seroposi-tivity in goat herds in eastern and western Ugandardquo PreventiveVeterinary Medicine vol 52 no 2 pp 91ndash108 2001

[28] J Bale S Nuru and P B Addo ldquoSerological study of sheep andgoats brucellosis in Northern Nigeriardquo Bulletin of animalhealth and production in Africa Bulletin des sante et productionanimales en Afrique vol 30 no 1 pp 73ndash79 1982

[29] WAdugna T S Tessema andKeskess ldquoSeroprevalence of smallruminants Brucellosis in district of Afar national regional statendashnortheast Ethiopiardquo Ethiopia Veterinary Journal vol 5 no 12pp 358ndash364 2013

[30] O O Ishola and G A T Ogundipe ldquoSeroprevalence of bru-cellosis in trade cattle slaughtered in Ibadan Nigeriardquo TropicalVeterinarian vol 19 no 1 pp 17ndash20 2001

[31] G G Alton ldquoBrucella melitensisrdquo in Animal brucellosis 1887 to1987 K H Nielson and J R Duncan Eds pp 379ndash409 CRCPress Boca Raton Fla USA 1990

[32] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsWorld Health Organization (FAOWHO) ldquoExpert Committeeon Brucellosisrdquo Tech Rep 740 Sixth Report WHO GenevaSwitzerland 1986

[33] PNicoletti ldquoThe epidemiology of bovine brucellosisrdquoAdvancesin Veterinary Science and ComparativeMedicine vol 24 pp 69ndash98 1980

[34] F U Mohammed S Ibrahim I Ajogi and B J O OlaniyildquoPrevalence of Bovine Brucellosis and Risk Factors Assessmentin Cattle Herds in Jigawa Staterdquo ISRN Veterinary Science vol2011 Article ID 132897 4 pages 2011

[35] F Ashenafi S Teshale G Ejeta R Fikru and Y LaikemariamldquoDistribution of brucellosis among small ruminants in thepastoral region of Afar eastern Ethiopiardquo Revue Scientifique etTechnique de lrsquoOIE vol 26 no 3 pp 731ndash739 2007

[36] I Ajogi M O V Osinubi H Makun I Luga and A AndrewldquoSero-prevalence of brucellosis in an institution farm Zariardquoin Proceedings of 39th Nigerian Veterinary Medical AssociationConference Sokoto Nigeria 2002

[37] S R Bala Bacteriological and serological studies of brucellosisin sheep and goats in a research farm in Zaria Nigeria [MScThesis] Department ofVeterinaryMicrobiology AhmaduBelloUniversity 2013

[38] S Falade J K Nwufoh and L Y Nmezi ldquoBrucellosis in inves-tigation in selected herds in Oyo staterdquoNigeria Bulletin of Ani-mal Health vol 29 no 2 pp 197ndash201 1981

[39] M Adamu G D Mshelia N Elelu L Ouda and G O EgwuldquoStudies on farmers awareness on Caprine abortion and thepresence of Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis in selectedflocks in an arid zone of Nigeriardquo Journal of Veterinary Medicineand Animal Health vol 4 no 2 pp 17ndash21 2012

Stem Cells International

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION

of

EndocrinologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Disease Markers

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

OncologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2013

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

PPAR Research

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Immunology ResearchHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Journal of

ObesityJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Behavioural Neurology

OphthalmologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Diabetes ResearchJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Research and TreatmentAIDS

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Parkinsonrsquos Disease

Evidence-Based Complementary andAlternative Medicine

Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom

Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom

Stem Cells International

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION

of

EndocrinologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Disease Markers

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

OncologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2013

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

PPAR Research

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Immunology ResearchHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Journal of

ObesityJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Behavioural Neurology

OphthalmologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Diabetes ResearchJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Research and TreatmentAIDS

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Parkinsonrsquos Disease

Evidence-Based Complementary andAlternative Medicine

Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom

Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom