Original Research

Outbreak investigation and control case report of brucellosis: Experience from livestock research centre, Mpwapwa, Tanzania

Gabriel M. Shirima, Seleman N. Masola, Obeid N. Malangu, Brant A. Schumaker
Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research | Vol 81, No 1 | a818 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/ojvr.v81i1.818 | © 2014 Gabriel M. Shirima, Seleman N. Masola, Obeid N. Malangu, Brant A. Schumaker | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 19 May 2014 | Published: 25 November 2014

About the author(s)

Gabriel M. Shirima, Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of
Seleman N. Masola, Department of Animal Health, National Livestock Research Institute, Tanzania, United Republic of
Obeid N. Malangu, Veterinary Investigation Centre, Mpwapwa, Tanzania, United Republic of
Brant A. Schumaker, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Wyoming, United States

Abstract

Brucellosis screening was conducted between 2005 and 2010 at the National Livestock Research Institute headquarters, Mpwapwa, Tanzania, following an abortion storm in cattle. The initial screening targeted breeding herds; 483 cattle were screened using the Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) followed by the Competitive Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (c-ELISA) as a confirmatory test. The seropositivity on c-ELISA was 28.95% in 2005; it subsequently declined to 6.72%, 1.17%, 0.16% and 0.00% in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010, respectively. Brucella seropositivity was not detected in goats. Seropositivity declined following institution of stringent control measures that included: gradual culling of seropositive animals through slaughter; isolation and confinement of pregnant cows close to calving; proper disposal of placentas and aborted foetuses; the use of the S19 vaccine; and restricted introduction of new animals. It was thought that the source of this outbreak was likely to have been from the introduction of infected animals from another farm. Furthermore, humans were found with brucellosis antibodies. Out of 120 people screened, 12 (10%) were confirmed seropositive to brucella antigen exposure by c-ELISA analysis. The majority of the seropositive individuals (80%) were milkers and animal handlers from the farm. Nine individuals had clinical signs suggestive of brucellosis. All cases received medical attention from the district hospital. This achievement in livestock and human health showed that it is possible to control brucellosis in dairy farms, compared to pastoral and agro-pastoral farms, thus providing evidence to adopt these strategies in dairy farms thought to be at risk.

Keywords

Brucellosis, control measures, disease outbreak investigation, disease screening, prevalence, zoonotic disease.

Metrics

Total abstract views: 6288
Total article views: 10865

 

Crossref Citations

1. Diagnostic challenges of brucellosis in humans and livestock in Tanzania: A thematic review
Isaac J. Mengele, Gabriel M. Shirima, Barend M. Bronsvoort, Luis E. Hernandez-Castro, Elizabeth A.J. Cook
CABI One Health  year: 2023  
doi: 10.1079/cabionehealth.2023.0001

2. Seroprevalence and risk factors for brucellosis amongst livestock and humans in a multi-herd ranch system in Kagera, Tanzania
Beatus Lyimo, Ephrasia Hugho, Coletha Mathew, Charles Mayenga, Abdul Hamid Lukambagire, Samson Lyimo, Lidia Munuo, Maurice Byukusenge, Jodie Withall, Roland T. Ashford, Blandina T. Mmbaga, Zachariah Makondo, John McGiven, Jessica Radzio-Basu, Erika Ganda, Earl A. Middlebrook, Andrew W. Bartlow, Jeanne M. Fair, Gabriel Shirima, Nammalwar Sriranganathan, Rudovick R. Kazwala, Peter J. Hudson, Isabella M. Cattadori, Vivek Kapur, Joram J. Buza, Robab Katani
Frontiers in Public Health  vol: 12  year: 2024  
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1478494

3. Modeling the Impact of Seasonal Weather Variations on the Infectiology of Brucellosis
Nkuba Nyerere, Livingstone S. Luboobi, Saul C. Mpeshe, Gabriel M. Shirima, Andrzej Kloczkowski
Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine  vol: 2020  first page: 1  year: 2020  
doi: 10.1155/2020/8972063

4. When is a “breed” not a breed: the myth of the Mpwapwa cattle of Tanzania
R. Trevor Wilson
Tropical Animal Health and Production  vol: 53  issue: 2  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1007/s11250-021-02669-4

5. Are brucellosis, Q fever and melioidosis potential causes of febrile illness in Madagascar?
Ides Boone, Klaus Henning, Angela Hilbert, Heinrich Neubauer, Vera von Kalckreuth, Denise Myriam Dekker, Norbert Georg Schwarz, Gi Deok Pak, Andreas Krüger, Ralf Matthias Hagen, Hagen Frickmann, Jean Noël Heriniaina, Raphael Rakotozandrindrainy, Jean Philibert Rakotondrainiarivelo, Tsiry Razafindrabe, Benedikt Hogan, Jürgen May, Florian Marks, Sven Poppert, Sascha Al Dahouk
Acta Tropica  vol: 172  first page: 255  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.05.013

6. Livestock production losses attributable to brucellosis in northern and central Tanzania: Application of an epidemiological-economic modelling framework
Ângelo J. F. Mendes, Daniel T. Haydon, William A. de Glanville, Rebecca F. Bodenham, AbdulHamid S. Lukambagire, Paul C. D. Johnson, Gabriel M. Shirima, Sarah Cleaveland, Emma McIntosh, Nick Hanley, Jo E. B. Halliday, Lawrence Mugisha
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases  vol: 19  issue: 2  first page: e0012814  year: 2025  
doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012814

7. Can a visual loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay stand out in different detection methods when monitoring Campylobacter jejuni from diverse sources of samples?
Xiaoqi Zang, Haiyan Tang, Xinan Jiao, Jinlin Huang
Food Control  vol: 75  first page: 220  year: 2017  
doi: 10.1016/j.foodcont.2016.12.010

8. Prioritizing smallholder animal health needs in East Africa, West Africa, and South Asia using three approaches: Literature review, expert workshops, and practitioner surveys
Zoë Campbell, Paul Coleman, Andrea Guest, Peetambar Kushwaha, Thembinkosi Ramuthivheli, Tom Osebe, Brian Perry, Jeremy Salt
Preventive Veterinary Medicine  vol: 189  first page: 105279  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105279

9. Brucellosis: Prevalence with reference to East African community countries – A rapid review
Juvenal Djangwani, George Ooko Abong’, Lucy Gicuku Njue, Dasel W. M. Kaindi
Veterinary Medicine and Science  vol: 7  issue: 3  first page: 851  year: 2021  
doi: 10.1002/vms3.425