Prevalence and risk factors of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in selected districts of Fafan pastoral settings, Eastern Ethiopia

Hassan Abdi Hussein; Juhar Mohamed Ahmed; Abdi Hussein Musse; Yonas Gizaw

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24998

Prevalence and risk factors of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in selected districts of Fafan pastoral settings, Eastern Ethiopia

Heliyon. 2024 Jan 19;10(2):e24998. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24998. eCollection 2024 Jan 30.

Authors

Hassan Abdi Hussein¹, Juhar Mohamed Ahmed¹, Abdi Hussein Musse¹, Yonas Gizaw²

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of One Health, Jigjiga University, P.O. Box, 1020, Jigjiga, Ethiopia.
² College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, Arsi University, P.O. Box, 193, Asella, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2021 to August 2022 to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of bovine tuberculosis in cattle in selected districts of the pastoral settings of Fafan zone, Somali region, eastern Ethiopia. A comparative intradermal tuberculin test was performed using purified protein derivatives. Animal-related characteristics, and the owner's knowledge on the importance of BTB were collected using a structured questionnaire. The prevalence was 11.24 % (95 % CI, 8.61-14.35) and 43.3 % (95 % CI, 33.27-53.75) at the individual and herd levels, respectively. There were statistically significant differences in the proportions of positive reactor animals according to body condition score (P = 0.000), age (P = 0.048), seasonal migration (P = 0.038), parity number (P = 0.005), and reproductive status (P = 0.037). Animals with poor body condition scores had a significantly higher likelihood of testing positive, with their odds being 11.4 times greater (COR = 11.408, CI = 3.43-37.94, P < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression, poor body condition score remained significantly associated with the odds of a positive reaction to tuberculosis (AOR = 0.137, CI = 0.053-0.356, P < 0.001). Similarly, the analysis showed that seasonal migration (AOR = 2.882, CI = 1.155-7.191, P = 0.023) and parity number (AOR = 11.64, CI = 1.818-74.464, P = 0.010) were significant predictors of bovine tuberculosis infection in cattle. According to the questionnaire, 14.2 % (17 of 120) and 13.3 % (16 of 120) of the respondents were knowledgeable about bovine tuberculosis and its transmission from animals to humans, and vice versa, respectively. The general judgment of herders' understanding of bovine tuberculosis transmission methods to humans was very low. The study findings showed a high prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in the study area, emphasizing the need for an effective control and prevention strategy.

Keywords: Bovine tuberculosis; Eastern Ethiopia; M. bovis; Somali region; Tuberculin test.