| Abstrakt: |
In Cambodia, goat production and meat consumption are customary among Muslim communities. Recently, goat meat has gained popularity among Cambodians. Goat farmers use a traditional management system, including grazing, requiring minimal labour. The close proximity between humans and animals could increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. A serological survey was undertaken to estimate the prevalence of some priority zoonoses and high-impact animal diseases in the Cambodian goat population. A total of 540 samples were collected from goats in six provinces and analysed with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for Brucella species, Q fever (Coxiella burnetii), Foot and Mouth Disease virus non-structural protein (FMDV NSP) and Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV). True seroprevalences with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI), taking into account imperfect tests, risk factors and odds ratios (ORs), were calculated to better understand the disease distribution and epidemiology. Independent variables used in statistical modellings included sex, body condition score, age, vaccination history, province and commune, while dependent variables were ELISA test results. The overall true prevalence of antibodies to Brucella spp., C. burnetii, FMDV and PPRV, were 0.1% (95% CI 0.0, 1.0), 7.2% (95% CI 5.3, 9.7), 57.7% (95% CI 53.1, 62.3) and 0.0% (95% CI 0.0, 0.0), respectively. There was no identified risk factor for brucellosis and PPR. The two risk factors for C. burnetii seropositivity were sex (p-value = 0.0005) and commune (p-value <0.0001). However, only the OR of C. burnetii seropositive female goat was significant at 9.7 (95% CI 2.7, 35.5) times higher than male. The risk factors of FMD NSP seropositivity were age (p-value = 0.001) and commune (p-value <0.0001). Only the age 'more than two-year-old' group with a significant OR of 6.2 (95% CI 2.1, 18.4) using the 'up to one-year-old' group as the reference. In summary, Brucella spp. seroprevalence was low, while no evidence of PPRV antibodies was detected in the goat populations. C. burnetii seroprevalence in female goats was significantly higher than for males, and there were significant differences in C. burnetii seroprevalence between communes. The overall FMDV NSP seroprevalence was high, especially in older animals. Vaccination should be advocated to protect animals from FMDV and improve productivity. As the impacts of these zoonoses on human and animal health were still unknown, further investigation of these zoonotic diseases' epidemiology is recommended. Author summary: Goat production and meat consumption are growing in Cambodia. Smallholders often keep goats in a housing area within their households, increasing contact between animals and humans and, thereby, the risk for zoonotic disease transmission. This study collected 540 goat samples applying the two-stage survey method, where the communes were the sampling frame and villages were clustered and tested for antibodies against Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii (Q fever), Foot and mouth disease virus non-structural protein (FMDV NSP), and Peste des Petits Ruminants virus (PPRV) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The overall apparent seroprevalence of Brucella, C. burnetii, FMDV NSP and PPRV were 0.4%,7.2%, 53.3% and 0.9% (n = 540), respectively. The only two brucella-positive samples were from Kampot and Tboung Khmum provinces. Moreover, Kandal province (22.2%, N = 90) and Dei Edth commune (36.7%, N = 30) had the highest C. burnetii seroprevalence compared to the others. Although seroprevalence of Brucella spp. detected in our study was low, while C. burnetii seroprevalence in some studied areas was relatively high, and the impacts of both zoonoses on animal and human health remain unknown. Seroprevalence of FMDV NSF was also high and widely distributed. Thus, future investigations targeting high-risk areas would be recommended to understand better the disease epidemiologies and their impacts on human and animal health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
