Bovine brucellosis: prevalence, risk factors, economic cost and control options with particular reference to India- a review

ABSTRACT

Background: Brucellosis is an economically important zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution, with low-income countries being more affected. The disease is endemic in India, a country that house the world’s largest cattle and buffalo population and produce the most milk in the world.

Results: Prevalence of the disease in the country is reported as low as 1% to as high as 60% by different researchers but many of the published studies that reported higher prevalence were conducted in non-randomised samples. Based on this review, overall prevalence in the country is likely 12% or less. About 20 different risk factors are reported that contribute/predispose to occurrence of bovine brucellosis. The risk factors could be classified in four groups: host factors, farmer’s factors, managemental factors, and agro-ecological factors. Various studies reported high economic burden of the diseases in dairy animals but there is dearth of comprehensive and rigorous economic studies.

Conclusions: In the absence of highly effective vaccines and because of difficulties in executing a segregation and slaughter policy of infected animals in countries like India, control of bovine brucellosis remains a challenge.

KEYWORDS:

• Brucella
• neglected tropical disease
• zoonosis
• economic loss
• disease control

Acknowledgments

The work with the review was supported by the CGIAR research programme Livestock and Fish and CGIAR fund.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded CGIAR research programme on Livestock and Fish

Notes on contributors

Ram Pratim Deka

Ram Pratim Deka is a PhD student under the Department of Clinical Sciences at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. He is also working under the Animal & Human Health Programme of the International Livestock Research Institute where his research focus mainly on food borne and zoonotic diseases.

Ulf Magnusson

Ulf Magnusson is working as Professor under the Department of Clinical Sciences at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. He has vast experience of guiding students on conducting studies on brucellosis and other zoonotic and reproductive diseases.

Delia Grace

Delia Grace is jointly leading the Animal and Human Health Programme of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in the globe. As a Principal Scientist she has extensive of leading several projects related to food borne and zoonotic diseases.

Johanna Lindahl

Johanna Lindahl is working as a Senior Scientist under the Animal and Human Health Programme of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). She is leading a few related to food borne and zoonotic diseases in South Asia in general and India in particular. She is also teaching at SLU and Uppsala University, Sweden.