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ABSTRACT

A total of 258 serum samples comprising 133 goats and 125 sheep were collected from organized and unorganized farms, abattoirs, and rural areas in the Nagpur region. All the samples were screened for sero-prevalence of brucellosis by applying serological tests viz., RBPT, STAT, EDTA-STAT, and MET. Of the samples collected, 40 random samples each from goat and sheep were also subjected to dot-ELISA. The overall sero-prevalence was recorded as 22.56% and 10.40%; 23.30% and 12.80%; 18.79% and 12.0%; 20.30% and 11.20%; and 17.15% and 20.0% in goats and sheep, respectively, by RBPT, STAT, EDTA-STAT, MET, and dot-ELISA. Prevalence rate was higher in goats from rural areas, followed by goats from unorganized farms, abattoirs, and organized herds. In sheep, a higher prevalence rate was recorded in abattoirs, followed by rural areas and unorganized farms. Sex-wise prevalence was higher in male goats and female sheep. Overall sero-prevalence was higher in goats than sheep. The predictive values of various tests revealed no difference between the test and true prevalence by all the serological tests except MET. It is recommended that serological tests be used in combination to overcome limitations of individual tests, along with consideration of sero-epizootiological markers for accurate estimation of brucellosis in a population.
Keywords: Brucellosis, Goat, Sero-prevalence, Sheep