Preliminary study on the epidemiology of bovine tuberculosis in Jimma town and its surroundings, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2007 to April 2008 on 384 dairy cattle in Jimma Town and 1,102 adult cattle slaughtered at Jimma abattoir. The objective of the study was to generate preliminary epidemiological data on bovine TB both in dairy and beef cattle in Jimma and its area. Simple random sampling, single intradermal tuberculin (SIDT) and comparative intradermal tuberculin (CIDT) tests of dairy cattle and postmortem inspection of slaughter cattle were used. On the basis of CIDT test, herd and animal prevalence were found to be 48.6% (95% CI, 34.8-68.0) and 21.4% (95% CI, 17.3-25.5), respectively. In dairy herd, prevalence of bovine TB was significantly affected by herd size (c2 = 7.1; P< 0.05) and age (c2 =14.7; P<0.05). A prevalence of 5.4% (95% CI, 4.1-6.7) was recorded in cattle slaughtered at Jimma abattoir based on detailed postmortem examination. The occurrence of tuberculous lesions was variable in different tissues: 63.3% in the lungs and associated lymph nodes, 23.5% in the mesenteric lymph nodes and the remaining 13.2% in the lymph nodes of the head region. In conclusion, the result of the present study indicated the prevailing occurrence of bovine TB in the area and warrants for launching of control methods.                                    Key words: Bovine tuberculosis, prevalence, risk factors, tuberculin tests, meat inspection, Jimma, Ethiopia.