Tuberculosis prevalence and risk factors for water buffalo in Pará, Brazil

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 46; no. 3; pp. 513 - 517
• Main Authors: Barbosa, José D, da Silva, Jenevaldo B, Rangel, Charles P, da Fonseca, Adivaldo H, Silva, Natália S, Bomjardim, Henrique A, Freitas, Nayra F. Q. R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.03.2014; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brazil - epidemiology; breeds; Buffaloes; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Life Sciences; Mycobacterium; Pregnancy; Prevalence; Public health; Regular Articles; Risk Factors; tuberculin; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis - epidemiology; Tuberculosis - veterinary; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology; Brazil; ASW, Brazil, Para; Brazil, Para, Marajo I; MED; Amazon region; Intradermal diagnosis; Buffaloes
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-013-0521-1

The prevalence of and possible risk factors for tuberculosis were studied in water buffalo from Pará, Brazil. In this study, 3,917 pregnant and nonpregnant female Murrah and Mediterranean buffaloes were studied; 2,089 originated from Marajó Island, and 1,108 were from the mainland. The comparative cervical tuberculin test was used as a diagnostic test for tuberculosis in these animals. The prevalence of positive buffaloes was 3.5 % (100/2,809) on Marajó Island and 7.2 % (80/1,108) on the mainland. The municipalities with the highest tuberculosis prevalence rates in animals were Ipixuna do Pará (10.1 %), Marapanim (9.8 %), Chaves (9.4 %), Paragominas (8.6 %), and Cachoeira do Arari (6.7 %). The tuberculosis prevalence was not significantly different between the Murrah (4.3 %) and Mediterranean (4.8 %) breeds or between pregnant (5 %) and nonpregnant (4.3 %) buffaloes. Tuberculosis was detected in water buffaloes from Pará, Brazil; the mainland buffalo exhibited the highest tuberculosis prevalence. These results indicate that this disease is dangerous to public health and buffalo farming in Pará.