Institutional Repository
Issued 2026-09-07 EN

Molecular Diagnosis and Economic Impact of Brucella Species in Ruminants in Bangladesh

Author: Begum Shamsunnahar Ahmed

Abstract

Brucellosis is an ancient re-emerging bacterial zoonotic disease caused by Slmies Of the Brucella genus, affects a Wide range of domesticated and adult wildlife, and plays a significant economic impact on public health and livestock sector. As an endemic disease species identification and biotyping of Brucella isolates are essential for epidemiologic surveillance and investigation in newly infected regions. In this study, strain and species of Brucella abortus were identified through MLVA (Multi Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeats Analysis) and PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), respectively. This study collected 2908 samples Of 2837 sera, 63 milk, and eight aborted materials from Dhaka, Munshiganj, Manikganj, Sylhet, and Mymensingh districts. There were 140 sera samples, 63 milk samples, and eight aborted materials With a history Of reproductive disturbances collected from dairy cows Of selected farms for molecular diagnosis. Again, 1925 sera samples from goats, 772 from "Ilected Where 1847 goal seru 746 sheep sera were randomly collected from 13 Upazila district to estimatc thc annual cconomic impact Of Brucella spp. In this study, a tote' of 78 (2" sheep, and 34 goats) samples were seropositive screened by RBT, rapid antibody kit test, MR7 Among the positive samples, 14 high-graded seropositive sera Of cattle, goats, and and two tissues from aborted fetal membranes Of the cow were to DNA extraction and to FLI, Germany, for molecular diagnosis and typing. On the Other hand, the eight fetal membranes, four samples were stained positive when screened by M(Hlified and inoculated to guinea pigs. Ten tissue samples (spleen, lung, liver, and Of seropositive guinea pigs also positive in PCR (Six hundred two base pair band) were sent to hboratory Of Veterinary Bacteriology (ISOI 7025), 1050 Brussels, Belgium, for genotyping. The genotyping was performed through MLVA by the use of 16 variable number tandem repeats (VNTRS). PCR With nine genes (MLSA 9) of 4 isolates (originated from Brucella positive guinea pigs tissue culture) was done, and sequencing to compare phylogenetic position. The multi-locus phylogenetic tree Of the concatenated data was reconstructed With reference strains using RAxML and visualized by Tree Graph2. The prevalence of B. Spp. was found to be 20.3% and 23.6% in serum and milk, respectively, in cattle Of dairy farms in the Dhaka district and found to 9.3% in serum in the Sylhet district. The prevalence of B. spp. was 1.56% in goats, and 1.65 % in sheep were calculated in the subsistence management system. The prevalences were to estimate loss over the thirteen Upazilas of Mymensingh district. For the first time, the IK'ssible annual economic losses ofbrucellosis in small ruminants in the Mymensingh district have been estimated in this study and shown a total of BDT 48436400 (605455USS) possible lost annually where BDT 46462900 (580786.25 USS) and BDT 1973500 (24668.75 USS) were in goaLS and sheep respectively. In this study, Brucella abortus was identified at 223bp in (Brucella aborttts-specific bcsp31/B4B5 primer) PCR, quantitative Multiplex Real-time PCR (Brucella genus and species-specific IS7 1 1 for Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis, positive at Ct value <40) and for more confirmation Bruce Ladder 2.0 PCR identified pmsitive at 775 base pair, in FLI, Germany, where Brucella abortus was found to be the causal organism in cattle and identified as the causative agent Of sheep (first known investigation) and goats brucellosis in Bangladesh. Brucella abortus was isolated, characterized, and as Brucella abortus biovar 3 With both classical and molecular methods ML VA-16. The profile Of the strains from Bangladesh was compared to B. abortus biovar 3 genotypes deposited in the Brucella aggregated database on MLVA net (http://mIva.u-psud.fr/mlvav4/genotyping index.php), and the query strain was identical with other 20 genotypes and interpreted as similar to Asian origin strain. The multi-locus gene analysis indicated the phylogenetic position of 4 Brucella abortus isolates from Bangladesh with well -supported value. We have isolated biovar 3 of Brucella abortus from the cow placenta. It does indicate that Brucella abortus biovar 3 is prevalent in the study government farm. Therefore, human brucellosis is best prevented by controlling the infection in large ruminant farms in Bangladesh as a zoonotic disease. In the absence of the BSL3 laboratory, the guineapig inoculation technique could be used as a good culture alternative for the confirmed diagnosis of brucellosis from contaminated clinical samples like the placenta. This studys possible annual economic impact reflected that as a non-notifiable disease, brucellosis silently constitutes an economic loss in the country and the producers. Hence, this study's results can be used to develop effective control and eradication strategy for brucellosis in livestock and public health. The high prevalence of Brucella in dairy cattle suggested the research should continue to demonstrate the B.spp. biovar in other government dairy farms and semen-prcxlucing bulls in Bangladesh.