Association between brucellosis and occurrence of abortions in bovine from the Espírito Santo State, Southeast region of Brazil

Abstract

A survey to investigate the possible association between the occurrence of abortion and seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis in the State of Espírito Santo, Southeast region of Brazil, was carried out. A total of 5,201 sera from cows > 24 months-old from 571 herds, drawn in two regions of the state (region 1, north of the state, region 2, south of the state), were analyzed. For serological diagnosis of bovine brucellosis the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) was applied as a screening test and the 2-mercaptoethanol test as a confirmatory test. A herd was considered focus when presented at least one seropositive animal. In both regions and in the State, prevalence of brucellosis was significantly higher in herds that have reported the occurrence of abortions and in animals with a history of abortions (P < 0.05), indicating that Brucella abortus may be an important cause of abortions in the State of Espírito Santo.