Prevalence and prevention of brucellosis in cattle in Lebanon

Vet World Vol.13 February-2020 Article-20

Research Article

Veterinary World, 13(2): 364-371

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2020.364-371

Hussein Hassan¹, Ali Salami², Nada Nehme³, Raed Al Hakeem⁴, Jeanne El Hage⁴, and Rana Awada^2,3

1. Department of Natural Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, Lebanese American University, Lebanon.
2. Rammal Hassan Rammal Research Laboratory, Physio-toxicity (PhyTox) Research Group, Faculty of Sciences (V), Lebanese University, Nabatieh, Lebanon.
3. Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agronomy, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Lebanon.
4. Animal Health Laboratory, Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute, Fanar, Lebanon.

Background and Aim: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium of the genus Brucella. This disease is present worldwide, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries, where it is endemic. This first-of-its-kind study in Lebanon aimed to assess the prevalence of brucellosis across the country and to determine the efficacy of a vaccine for reducing losses in herds so that its toll on public health is reduced.

Materials and Methods: Three hundred and fifty-three blood serum and 261 milk samples were obtained from cows in different areas of Lebanon. The samples were analyzed using serological tests (rose Bengal, milk ring, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]) and confirmed with competitive ELISA and polymerase chain reaction.

Results: The highest rate of Brucellae was found in the Bekaa region (10%). After vaccination of 5 cows and 13 heifers at different times, the results showed that all the vaccinated animals have developed an immune response to brucellosis 60 days after vaccination. This vaccine can be considered as stable and preventative to protect against brucellosis in animals and thus protect the public from this infection.

Conclusion: These findings will provide further insight into designing future targeted awareness interventions and adapted policies as efforts toward reducing the prevalence and prevention of brucellosis in cattle in Lebanon. Keywords: Brucella abortus and melitensis, brucellosis, public health, vaccines, zoonosis.

Keywords: Brucella abortus and melitensis, brucellosis, public health, vaccines, zoonosis.

How to cite this article: Hassan H, Salami A, Nehme N, Hakeem RA, El Hage J, Awada R (2020) Prevalence and prevention of brucellosis in cattle in Lebanon, Veterinary World, 13(2): 364-371.

Received: 31-10-2019 Accepted: 13-01-2020 Published online: 27-02-2020

Corresponding author: Rana Awada E-mail: awada-rana@hotmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.364-371

Copyright: Hassan, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.