Abstract

Sero Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Brucellosis in Goats

Authors: Iahtasham Khan, Sanan Raza, Aman Ullah Khan, Tariq Jamil, Junaid Ali Khan, Saeedah Musaed Almutairi and Sarah Faiez Aldossery

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.71081/cvj/2025.048

Abstract
The current study was conducted to identify the presence of brucellosis infection in goats in Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 61 animal herds suspected of brucellosis were randomly selected from Gujrat (n=44) and Jehlum (n=17) districts. Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT, screening test) and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA) were performed from blood samples collected from these animals. Moreover, the samples were subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction to identify various Brucella species in these goats. There observed a seropositivity of 5.9% (18/305) and 7.5% (23/305) using RBPT and i-ELISA, respectively. Moreover, PCR analysis further confirmed the presence of B. abortus in 4.2% samples. Gujrat district exhibited a higher seroprevalence compared to Jhelum region. These findings highlight the significant prevalence of brucellosis in goat emphasizing the need for further epidemiological investigations at individual animal and the herd levels to further surveillance of circulating Brucella spp. in goat, sheep, cattle and buffalo, as well as the zoonotic transmission of the pathogen. Combined blood analysis by RBPT and i-ELISA along with molecular detection by PCR confirm the presence of Brucella. The presence of anti-Brucella antibodies in the sera represents a significant risk to the consumers.

Keywords: Brucella abortus; Brucellosis; Goat; I-ELISA; RBPT; RT-PCR