Sampling animals and specimens
According to the national control program for brucellosis in Egypt, the
public health authority has to notify the general organization for
veterinary services (GOVS) of any cases of human brucellosis. Hence GOVS
collect blood samples from all of the animals owned by the notified
positive human cases so as to identify their infection status and
slaughter the animal that tested positive. In the current study, samples
were collected from animals reared in diverse husbandry systems, across
different regions in Kafrelsheikh governorate, Egypt (Table 1 & Figure
1). The isolates were recovered from positive animals on two farms,
three flocks, and six households. These animals were targeted upon the
confirmed seropositivity, abortion at the third trimester, and/or the
notification of a brucellosis case among the humans in contact with
these animals. Animals belonging to Herds F and G were only cattle,
Flock C included only sheep, while Flock E contained mixed breeding of
sheep, goats, cattle, and buffaloes. The remaining samples were taken
from individual household animals, animals that could have had contact
with other animals. The individual animals were: (five ewes and one
cow).
Farm (G) is a dairy farm with 119 cows that had no history of abortion,
nor Brucella spp. infection declaration. Farm G had no history of
introducing animals from outside the farm and had no contact with small
ruminants. In 2017, the farm received a replacement cow of unknown
brucellosis status for the first time and 2 months after its
introduction, abortions had occurred in 20% of the herd. A total of 47
blood serum samples were collected from this farm and tested
serologically against Brucella spp. infection resulting in 22
positive cases. Samples for bacterial isolation and identification were
collected from live seropositive animals and upon slaughtering the
seropositive animals through the national control program. Supra-mammary
and retropharyngeal lymph nodes, testicles, fetal membranes, spleen, and
milk samples were collected from live and slaughtered animals.