The prevalence of Brucella abortus DNA in seropositive bovine sera in Bangladesh

Prevalence of brucellosis has been widely investigated on the basis of serological test in livestock but the information on the prevalence of Brucella species is scarce in Bangladesh. The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of Brucella species in cattle and buffaloes in Bangladesh. For these purpose, a total of 799 serum samples of cattle and buffaloes were collected from different districts of Bangladesh. Out of 799 serum samples, 45 serum samples reacted positively to the Rose Bengal test (RBT); among the RBT positive serum, 14 sera were found to contain Brucella DNA by genus specific IS711 screening using quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR); and all the 14 qRT-PCR positive samples were found to contain specifically Brucella abortus DNA. This report confirms that B. abortus is endemic in cattle and buffaloes in Bangladesh. A combination of SAT-iLEISA and PCR could be effective for future eradication programmes.