Distribution of brucellosis among small ruminants in the pastoral region of Afar, eastern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted in the pastoral region of Afar, in eastern and central Ethiopia, to determine the distribution of brucellosis in small ruminants. Between December 2005 and June 2006, 1,568 serum samples were taken: 563 samples from sheep and 1,005 from goats. One hundred and forty-seven of these (9.4%) tested positive using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), and 76 (4.8%) also tested positive by the complement fixation test (CFT). Brucellosis was detected in all five administrative zones of the region. The difference in prevalence (P) among the zones was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The seroprevalence of Brucella infection was found to be 5.8% (n = 58) in goats and 3.2% (n = 18) in sheep. A prevalence rate of 5.3% was observed in adult animals and 1.6% in younger sheep and goats. Caprine species (chi2 = 5.56) and adult goats and sheep (chi2 = 4.84) were found to be at higher risk of Brucella infection (P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between males and females (chi2 = 2.57, P > 0.05). The study showed that small-ruminant brucellosis is a widely distributed disease in Afar. The authors recommend the implementation of well-organised disease control and prevention methods to mitigate the economic losses and public health hazard caused by the disease.