Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health

Volume 7, Issue 4, December 2017, Pages 285 - 288

Evidence of ongoing brucellosis in livestock animals in North West Libya

Authors
Huda H. Al-Griwa, *, huda_algriw@hotmail.com, Elfurgani Salem Kraimb, Milad E. Farhatb, Lorraine L. Perrettc, Adrian M. Whatmorec
aDepartment of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tripoli University, Tripoli, Libya
bDepartment of Microbiology, National Centre of Animal Health, Tripoli, Libya
cOIE/WHO/FAO Brucellosis Reference Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Woodham Lane, Addlestone KT15 3NB, UK
*Corresponding author.
Corresponding Author
Received 23 February 2017, Revised 26 August 2017, Accepted 12 September 2017, Available Online 6 October 2017.
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2017.09.001How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Brucellosis; Control program; Libya; Livestock
Abstract

Animal brucellosis is thought to be present in small ruminants, cattle, and camels in Libya, particularly in the west coastal strip. Before the system collapsed due to political unrest in 2011, prevalence of the disease did not exceed 0.2% in cattle, 0.1% in camels, 8.3% in sheep, and 14.8% in goats. The aim of this study was to highlight outbreaks of disease that took place during the 18-month period from November 2014 to April 2016. A total of 1612 serum samples, collected opportunistically from 29 herds in 12 different localities in the northwest region of Libya, were investigated for brucellosis. The samples were screened for Brucella antibodies using the Rose Bengal test, and confirmed with either indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in the case of sheep, and/or a serum agglutination test, followed with a complement fixation test, in the case of cattle and camels. Our results showed the highest rates of brucellosis seropositivity in goats (33.4%) and sheep (9.2%). The overall percentage of brucellosis seropositivity was 21%. The high level of brucellosis identified by this study, particularly in small ruminants, strongly suggests re-emergence of the disease in the region. Re-evaluation of intervention measures applied to the control of brucellosis is highly recommended.

Copyright
© 2017 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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Journal
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
Volume-Issue
7 - 4
Pages
285 - 288
Publication Date
2017/10/06
ISSN (Online)
2210-6014
ISSN (Print)
2210-6006
DOI
10.1016/j.jegh.2017.09.001How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2017 Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Cite this article

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Huda H. Al-Griw
AU  - Elfurgani Salem Kraim
AU  - Milad E. Farhat
AU  - Lorraine L. Perrett
AU  - Adrian M. Whatmore
PY  - 2017
DA  - 2017/10/06
TI  - Evidence of ongoing brucellosis in livestock animals in North West Libya
JO  - Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
SP  - 285
EP  - 288
VL  - 7
IS  - 4
SN  - 2210-6014
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jegh.2017.09.001
DO  - 10.1016/j.jegh.2017.09.001
ID  - Al-Griw2017
ER  -