Seroprevalence of Brucella abortus in buffaloes and wildebeests in the Serengeti ecosystem: A threat to humans and domestic ruminants

Abstract

A sero-survey was conducted in buffalo and wildebeests in Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park (SNP) collectively known as Serengeti ecosystem to establish the level of exposure to Brucella arbortus. Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination test and Competitive ELISA were used serially in the analysis of 205 serum samples. The results indicated that 24% and 17% of buffalo and wildebeest populations respectively are exposed to the bacterium. The difference in the level of exposure of these herbivores to the bacterium in Ngorongoro Crater and SNP was insignificant (P>0.05), suggesting that probably the infection is sustainable in the ecosystem. Because wildlife has high interaction with livestock in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, it is likely that livestock are at risk of exposure to the infection. More studies are recommended to understand its epidemiology and isolate the bacterium for characterization. A close monitoring of the wildlife populations in the two protected areas is important to establish the impact of the infection on the reproductive performance. Furthermore public awareness to the communities in the interface should be strengthened to reduce the risk of human exposure to Brucella infection.