Seroprevalence of Brucellosis Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease on Cattles at Svay Rieng and Prey Veng Province, Cambodia

Abstract

: LSD (Lumpy Skin Disease) is a poxviral disease with significant morbidity in cattle and belongs to the family Poxviridae and the genus Capripoxvirus and is transmitted by hematophagous arthropod vectors. Despite the typically low mortality rate, economic costs arise from deterioration in health, decreased milk production, miscarriages, infertility and harmed hides. Brucellosis disease is one of the most common contagious and communicable zoonotic diseases with high rates of morbidity and lifetime sterility. Serological tests with ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays) indicate exposure to Brucella and LSD in cattle. To identify the presence of those diseases, the research was conducted in two provinces, Svay Rieng and Prey Veng, in Cambodia, starting from July 2021 to January 2022. In the study, the 2018 Thusfield method was adopted, and two cattle were selected from 216 households in the two provinces (112 in Svay Rieng and 104 in Prey Veng). However, not all the families had two cattle, so the total sample size was 300 cattle (227 in Svay Rieng and 73 in Prey Veng). As a result, there was only one brucellosis disease case in Svay Rieng Province, while that disease was not found at all in Prey Veng. Meanwhile, LSD was higher in Prey Veng (80% of the tested cattle) than in Svay Rieng (69%). Among all of the tested cattle, 66.7% had the highest BS (Body Score = 4). The finding suggests that LSD was prevalent in the studied areas, which may cause economic losses. Thus, preventive measures should be taken properly to tackle this issue. Although Brucellosis was a rare case in the studied areas, it may spread faster, causing abortion in cattle and women. Biosecurity is needed to ensure a strict control over this disease.