Purpose: Nigeria is the largest cattle-rearing nation in Africa with most animals kept under traditional husbandry practices. While bovine brucellosis does not receive much attention, a relatively high seroprevalence is found in samples submitted for laboratory testing. The aim of the study was to provide serological evidence of brucellosis in cattle from some of the main cattle-rearing states of the country and to validate a simple and rapid field test for the serodiagnosis of bovine brucellosis.
Method: Serum samples collected in various states of Nigeria from cattle because of suspicion of brucellosis were investigated in the Rose Bengal plate test, and results were compared with a newly developed rapid field test for the detection of Brucella-specific antibodies.
Results: Serological evidence for the presence of brucellosis in cattle was obtained for all states included in the study and a high herd prevalence was observed. The seroprevalence was also high among trade and slaughter animals. Results of a rapid field test for the serodiagnosis of bovine brucellosis correlated well with the Rose Bengal plate test (agreement, 95.7%; kappa value, 0.80).
Conclusions: The results indicate that bovine brucellosis is an important veterinarian problem in Nigeria. The easy-to-use and robust field test is most promising for field-based surveillance as it provides an immediate result allowing the prompt instigation of control measures.