Prevalence and risk factors of bovine tuberculosis in slaughtered cattle, Malawi
Thoko Flav Kapalamula,
Francis Kawonga,
Misheck Shawa,
Joseph Chizimu,
Jeewan Thapa,
Mirriam Ethel Nyenje,
Rajhab Sawasawa Mkakosya,
Kyoko Hayashida,
Stephen Gordon,
Chie Nakajima,
Musso Munyeme,
Bernard M. Hang'ombe,
Yasuhiko Suzuki
Affiliations
Thoko Flav Kapalamula
Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Francis Kawonga
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, Malawi
Misheck Shawa
Division of Infection and Immunity, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Joseph Chizimu
Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Jeewan Thapa
Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Mirriam Ethel Nyenje
Community Health Sciences Unit, National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Lilongwe, Malawi
Rajhab Sawasawa Mkakosya
Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
Kyoko Hayashida
Division of Collaboration and Education, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Stephen Gordon
School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Chie Nakajima
Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Hokkaido University Institute for Vaccine Research and Development, Sapporo, Japan
Musso Munyeme
School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Bernard M. Hang'ombe
School of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
Yasuhiko Suzuki
Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; International Collaboration Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan; Hokkaido University Institute for Vaccine Research and Development, Sapporo, Japan; Corresponding author. Division of Bioresources, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is an infectious disease with significant socioeconomic, animal, and public health impacts. However, the prevalence of bTB remains largely unclear in Malawi due to a paucity of information. Additionally, the existence of multiple risk factors is postulated to enhance bTB transmission in animals. A cross-sectional survey to estimate the prevalence of bTB, animal characteristics and identify associated risk factors was conducted from slaughtered cattle at three major regional abattoirs (southern, central and northern regions) in Malawi. Out of a total of 1547 cattle examined, 154 (9.95%) had bTB-like lesions in various visceral organs and lymph nodes; one sample per animal was collected, processed, and cultured in the in the BACTEC Mycobacterial growth indicator tube (MGIT) 960 system. From the 154 cattle that showed tuberculous like lesions, only 112 were positive on MGIT and 87 were confirmed to have M. bovis based on multiplex PCR. Cattle from the southern region (odds ratio (OR) = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.03–3.85) and central region (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.16–3.56) were more likely presented with bTB-like lesions at slaughter than from the northern region. The risk of having bTB-like lesions was higher in females (OR = 1.51, CI: 1.00–2.29), older cattle (OR = 2.17, CI: 1.34–3.37), and crossbreeds (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.12–2.47) than in males, younger animals, and Malawi Zebu breed, respectively. The high prevalence of bTB is of critical concern and necessitates active surveillance and strengthening of the current control strategies under a One Health (OH) approach at the animal-human interface.
