Serological and Molecular Investigation of Brucellosis in Breeding Equids in Pakistani Punjab
Amjad Hussain,
Tariq Jamil,
Abdul Malik Tareen,
Falk Melzer,
Muhammad Hammad Hussain,
Iahtasham Khan,
Muhammad Saqib,
Ali Zohaib,
Riaz Hussain,
Waqas Ahmad,
Mudassar Iqbal,
Heinrich Neubauer
Affiliations
Amjad Hussain
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Baluchistan, Quetta 87550, Pakistan
Tariq Jamil
Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany
Abdul Malik Tareen
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Baluchistan, Quetta 87550, Pakistan
Falk Melzer
Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany
Muhammad Hammad Hussain
Vance Street, Bardia 2565, Australia
Iahtasham Khan
Section of Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore Sub-Campus Jhang 12-Km Chiniot Road, Jhang 35200, Pakistan
Muhammad Saqib
Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38400, Pakistan
Ali Zohaib
Department of Healthcare Biotechnology, Atta-ur-Rehman School of Applied Biosciences, National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Riaz Hussain
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Waqas Ahmad
Department of Clinical Sciences (Epidemiology), Khan Bahadar Choudhry Mushtaq Ahmed College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Narowal 51600, Pakistan
Mudassar Iqbal
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Heinrich Neubauer
Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 07743 Jena, Germany
Brucellosis is an important zoonosis worldwide. Equines are susceptible to the infection when in close contact with infected animals. The objective of our study was to update the existing knowledge and detect and differentiate the causative agent of brucellosis in breeding equines in Punjab, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was designed to evaluate the occurrence and etiology of the infection in the equine population in three districts. A total of 448 equine sera were collected from three prefectures viz. Sahiwal, Khanewal, and Okara of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. Ninety-six (21.4%) samples were found positive by RBPT, 3.56% (16/448) by iELISA, and 4.24% (19/448) by CFT. Real-time PCR demonstrated the presence of Brucella abortus-DNA in sero-positive samples. Age and location were found as risk factors. The study concludes equine brucellosis seroprevalence in the country where Brucella abortus as the main etiology. Fistulous withers and poll evil cases should be treated with care as they could be hazardous and a source of zoonotic transmission. Routine screening at an early age, vaccination in ruminants, and consumption of pasteurized dairy milk in humans is recommended for prevention of the infection. Specific tests need to be standardized and validated.
