Serological survey of Brucella infection in horses in Kano Metropolis, Kano State, Nigeria

Brucellosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease with worldwide distribution. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the serological prevalence of brucellosis in horses within Kano Metropolis. A total of 328 serum samples were collected for the study. Modified Rose Bengal Plate Test (mRBPT) was conducted on all the samples while the Serum Agglutination Test with EDTA (SAT-EDTA) was conducted on the mRBPT-positive samples. The prevalence of brucellosis in horses within the Kano metropolis was found to be 24.09 % (79/328) and 11.89 % (39/328) with mRBPT and SAT-EDTA respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the seropositivity by the tests used. From the study, 37 (23.27%) out of the 159 mares were seropositive for Brucella antibodies using mRBPT while 16 (43.24 %) were positive using SAT-EDTA. Similarly, of the 169 stallions, 38 (22.4 %) were positive using mRBPT and of these 22(57.89 %) were further positive by using SAT-EDTA. Unlike the age and use of the horses; location, sex, and breed were not significantly associated with the seroprevalence rate obtained in the study using mRBPT P<0.05. This study showed that Brucella antibodies were circulating in the horses in the study area. Further study is recommended to determine the Brucella species circulating in these horses, particularly that brucellosis is zoonotic with serious public health significance. There is also the need to examine the horse owners and grooms for possible Brucella antibodies because equine brucellosis has serious public health significance.