Risk Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Bovine Tuberculosis in Cattle in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania
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Date
2001
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Abstract
A study was conducted in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania to determine the prevalence of bovine
tuberculosis and the risk factors associated with the occurrence of the disease in cattle of di¡erent
categories and in di¡erent climatic zones. The overall prevalence of the disease was 13.2%, and 51% of
the herds tested contained reactor cattle. Assessment of risk factors was based on comparisons of the
reactivity of the cattle in the single comparative intradermal tuberculin test (SCITT). Older cattle were
more a¡ected by the disease than yearlings and calves (p50.0001). There were signi¢cant di¡erences
between male and female cattle (p50.05) and between cattle with exotic blood compared to indigenous
Short Horn Zebu (SHZ) cattle (p50.05). The castrated bulls, often used for draught power, were more
frequently (p50.01) a¡ected than the entire bulls, mainly used for breeding. Reactivity to tuberculin did
not appear to be in£uenced by the reproductive status of the animal. The reactivity to tuberculin of
pregnant cattle was not signi¢cantly di¡erent from that of the rest of the cows (p40.05). However,
signi¢cantly more (14.6%) lactating cattle reacted in the SCITT than did non-lactating cows (12.0%)
(p50.05). There was a highly signi¢cant di¡erence (p50.001) between reactivity in the SCITT among
cattle grazing in the hot and dry lower lands (14.0%) and that in those grazing in the cool and wet
highlands (8.7%).
Description
Keywords
Bovine tuberculosis, Tuberculin test, Prevalence, Age, Epidemiology