Pasteurellosis Status in Ethiopia: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Ethiopia has the largest national livestock populations in Africa. However, the productivity is one of the marginal due to a number of technical and non-technical factors. Infectious diseases like pasteurellosis are highly affecting livestock industry in the country. Pasteurellosis is a multifactorial disease caused by numerous etiologic agents. Mannheimia haemolytica, Bibersteinia trehalosi and Pasteurella multocida cause pasteurellosis in animals and humans. Pasteurella are commensal organisms of healthy animals which can be trigger with stress factors to cause fatal disease in farm animals. Infective agents acquired by inhalation of infected droplets or close contacts among susceptible animals. Pasteurellosis is responsible for huge mortality in feedlot animals worldwide. Haemorrhagic septicemia is an acute and characterized by sudden onset of fever, profuse salivation, severe dyspnea and death in about 24 hours whereas shipping fever causes severe broncho-pneumonia and pleurisy. The diagnosis of the disease is based on the clinical signs, gross pathological lesions, isolation of the pathogens and molecular characterization. Pasteurellosis is complex multifactorial disease difficult to control however, good management, chemotherapy, chemoprophylaxis and early immunization are control and preventive measures. In Ethiopia pasteurellosis is an endemic disease posing a serious threat to the animal productions. However, data on epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention and control is scarce. Therefore, a routine national wide survey encompassing multiple hosts and wider area should be undertaken to figure out prevalence and identify circulating serotypes in different agro ecology to design and implement appropriate interventions.