Characterization of Brucellosis and its effect on livestock productivity in Kyrgyzstan

• Research unit: FSVO
• Project number: 1.07.17

Key words (English)

Brucellosis, livestock, cattle, sheep, goat, productivity, Kyrgyzstan

Short description (English)

Brucellosis is one of the world’s major zoonoses (Boschiroli et al., 2001). Brucella infection is endemic in humans and livestock in Mediterranean countries (Madkour A.A., 2001). It is also present in Asia (Roth et al., 2003), sub Saharan Africa (Domingo, 2000; Schelling et al., 2003) and Latin America (Mikolon, 1998). Its importance is often not precisely known, but it can have a considerable impact on human and animal health, and wide socio-economic impacts especially in countries where rural income relies to a large extent on livestock breeding and dairy products. Human brucellosis is caused by exposure to livestock and livestock products. The most important causative bacteria in decreasing order are: B. melitensis (small ruminants), B. abortus (cattle), B. suis (pigs) and B. canis (dogs). Infection can result from direct contact with infected animals and can be transmitted to consumers through raw milk and milk products. There is no transmission of the infection between humans (Krauss et al., 1997).

Project aims (English)

Characterise Kyrgyz Brucellosis and its impact on livestock production. Specific objectives are to assess:

a) Proportion of clinical outcomes (Abortions) among sero-positive cattle, sheep and goat.

b) Proportion of infectious (bacteria excreting animals) among sero-positive cattle, sheep and goat.

b) Dynamics of antibody titers in sero-positive animals and in animals which have aborted with Brucella isolates.

Achievement of aims (English)

In the year 2008, bacteriological isolations will be attempted prior to the beginning of the lambing season (late abortion) in February-March. Herds with abortions will be subsequently visited in April-Mai to administer a questionnaire and to take serum samples for to assess within herd sero-prevalence and to prepare the monitoring of the serological response. Later in the year data bases will be established and the bacteriological cultures further characterized.

In the year 2009, further bacteriological isolations will be attempted. This will be followed by the analysis of the data and the preparation of papers. Meetings will be held with farmer associations and veterinary authorities.

Transfer and application (English)

The expected results will contribute to validate existing transmission models of brucellosis (Zinsstag et al., 2005) and will also contribute to assess the economic impact of brucellosis to Kyrgyzstand in analogy to the work by (Roth et al., 2003). Further the results will contribute to the evidence base to develop a control strategy for brucellosis in Kyrgyzstan.

Publications / Results (English)

Bonfoh, B.; Fane, A.; Traore, A.P.; Tounkara, K.; Simbe, C.F.; Alfaroukh, I.O.; Schlach, L.; Farah, Z.; Nicolet, J.; Zinsstag, J. (2002) Use of an indirect immunoassay for detection of antibody to Brucella abortus in fermented cow milk. Milk Science International, Journal of Nutrition Research and Food Science, 57: 7, 375-377.

Roth, F.; Zinsstag J.; Orkhon D.; Chimed-Ochir G.; Hutton G.; Cosivi O.; Carrin G.; Otte J. (2003) Human health benefits from livestock vaccination for brucellosis: case study. Bull World Health Organ. 81: 12, 867-876.

Schelling, E.; Diguimbaye, C.;Daoud, S.;Nicolet, J.; Boerlin, P.; Tanner, M.; Zinsstag,
J. (2003) Brucellosis and Q-fever seroprevalences of nomadic pastoralists and their livestock in Chad, Prev Vet Med., 61: 4, 279-293.

Zinsstag J.; Roth F.; Orkhon D.; Chimed-Ochir G.; Nansalmaa M.; Kolar J.; Vounatsou P. (2005) A model of animal-human brucellosis transmission in Mongolia. Prev Vet Med. 69: 77-95.

Kasymbekov, J.; Imanseitov, J.; Ballif, M.; Schürch, N.; Paniga, S.; Pilo, P.; Tonolla, M.; Benagli, C.; Akylbekova, K.; Jumakanova, Z.; Schelling, E.; Zinsstag, J. (2013) Molecular Epidemiology and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Livestock Brucella melitensis Isolates from Naryn Oblast, Kyrgyzstan. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 7:2, e2047, 1-6.

Related documents

• Datenblatt [PDF] 93 kB
• Molecular Epidemiology and Antibiotic [PDF] 478 kB
• Schelling Prev. Vet. Med. 2003 61 279 [PDF] 82 kB
• Zinsstag Prev. Vet. Med. 2005 69 77 [PDF] 609 kB
• Zinsstag_2009_VetItal_OneHealthToolbox.pdf [PDF] 405 kB