Sero-prevalence of Brucella abortus among dairy cattle and buffaloes in Pothohar Plateau,Pakistan

The sero-prevalence of brucellosis was investigated among different breeds of cattle and buffaloes in islamabad capital territory (ict),rawalpindi and attock regions of pakistan. a total of 2330 milk samples (1168 cattle and 1162 buffaloes) were screened for the presence of brucella abortus antibodies using the milk ring test (mrt). information related to animal type,urbanicity,sampling area and breeds were collected with the help of a pretested questionnaire on the day of sampling. the overall sero-prevalence was 6.9% in cattle and 6.6% in buffaloes. more seropositive animals were found in ict compared to the other regions. the odds of brucellosis sero-positivity were higher among cross breed cattle and nili-ravi buffaloes. this study is the first evidence of prevalence of brucella abortus up to breed level in dairy cattle and buffaloes in pakistan. copyright 2013 zoological society of pakistan.