Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in Cattle, Sheep, and Goats in the Southeastern Region of Bangladesh.

Brucellosis is one of the major bacterial zoonoses worldwide. Bangladesh is an endemically affected country with this neglected disease. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis among cattle, goats, and sheep in the southeastern part of Bangladesh, covering Chattogram and Khagrachhari districts. A total of 1000 animals (cattle = 420, goat = 300, sheep = 280) were studied from July 2019 to June 2020 from a selected combination of 105 herds and households. First, all the samples were tested with the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT). Later, RBPT-positive samples and an equal number of randomly selected RBPT-negative animals were tested using indirect enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (I-ELISA). Overall true prevalence (TP) of brucellosis was 5.29% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-9.77)], 12.86% (95%CI: 6.7021.29), and 13.40% (95%CI: 6.26-20.53), respectively, for the cattle, goat, and sheep of Chattogram, whereas the TP were 16.49% (95%CI: 8.57-24.40), 24.61% (95%CI: 14.92-34.29), and 16.30% (95%CI: 8.42-24.17), respectively, for the cattle, goat, and sheep of Khagrachhari. Notably, this study found that 67.24% (95%CI: 54.42-77.92) and 86.60% (95%CI: 68.56-104.63) of herds and households, respectively, in the Chattogram and Khagrachhari districts were positive for brucellosis for at least a single positive case. Agreement between the diagnostic tests RBPT and I-ELISA was 86.90% (kappa agreement = 0.737) in this study. A multilevel multivariable logistic regression model depicts that prevalence was significantly higher in the Khagrachhari region for both cattle [odds ratio (OR) = 2.63 (95%CI: 1.28-5.42)] and goats (OR = 2.08; 95%CI: 1.15-3.75), whereas prevalence was significantly lower in aged individuals (OR = 0.54; 95%CI: 0.27-1.08). This study summarizes that this zoonotic disease in the study areas persisted at a considerably high level that might pose a substantial threat to public health. The findings will be a great help for the corresponding authority to take necessary intervention steps in controlling this zoonotic disease effectively.