Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted in four districts of Afar region to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants. One thousand fifty sera were tested using modified Rose Bengal plate test (mRBPT) and complement fixation test (CFT) as screening and confirmatory tests, respectively. The results showed that 7.1 and 13.6% of sheep and goats were sero-positive, respectively. District level sero-prevalence ranged from 3.6 to 13.6% and 3.3 to 6.7% in sheep and goats, respectively. The logistic regression model for small ruminants identified goats (odds ratio (OR) = 2.36; 95% CI: 1.46 to 3.82) are at higher risk of brucellosis as compared to sheep. In addition, small ruminants greater than two years (OR = 3.132; 95% CI: 1.6 to 6.15), and larger flock size (OR = 2.04; 95% CI: 1.35 to 3.1) are at higher risk of brucellosis than their counter categories. The results of this study demonstrated that livestock brucellosis is widely prevalent in the study areas. Hence, the study suggests the need for implementing control measures and raising public awareness on prevention methods of brucellosis.

Key words: Afar region, brucellosis, complement fixation test, modified Rose Bengal precipitation test, small ruminants.