Serological investigation of brucellosis and its association with abortion in sheep and goats in selected districts of Jimma zone, southwestern Ethiop

The occurrence of brucellosis in different species of livestock has been reported from different parts of Ethiopia, however, the serostatus and risk factors of this disease in small ruminants is not well documented in southwestern parts of the country. This study was conducted from October 2016 to October 2017 to investigate the seroprevalence and associated risk factors of brucellosis as well as its association with abortion in sheep and goats in selected districts of Jimma zone. A total of 804 small ruminants (402 sheep and 402 goats) were randomly selected and blood samples were collected for serological tests. The presence of antibody to Brucella was screened by Rose Bengal Plate Test and confirmed using the complement fixation test. Seroprevalence of 4.2% in sheep and 5.2% in goats was recorded in this study. An overall seroprevalence of 4.7% was recorded in small ruminants in the study areas. Brucella seropositivity was observed more frequently among sheep and goats with a history of abortion (6.7%) than animals that have no history of abortion (3.7%), however, the difference noted was not statistically significant. Older age (OR 3.9, CI = 1.43-9.94), pregnancy (OR 2.6, CI = 1.19-5.72), late term gestation (OR 2.4, CI = 1.54-3.78), mixed flock (OR 2.8, CI = 1.33-5.89) and larger flock size (OR 2.7, CI = 1.08-6.95) were noted to have more number of reactors. Hence, it is important to consider brucellosis as one of the diseases that needs attention and further study should be conducted to identify the circulating Brucella species and other causes of abortion in sheep and goats. Besides, this finding warrants the need for further investigation on its public health impact in the region. Keywords: Brucellosis; Epidemiology; Sheep; Goat; Jimma Zone