Brucellosis is a well-known contagious and zoonotic infection of different animals which influences the health status of animal and economy of underdeveloped/ developing countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to estimate the sero-prevalence and risk factors of Brucella infection in dairy cattle through reliable diagnostic techniques. A total of 300 cattle was included for blood sampling kept at peri-urban areas of Sargodha, Sahiwal and Chiniot districts of Punjab. All the serum samples were tested through RBPT antigen, i-ELISA and RT-PCR. Results showed that 12.66% animals were seropositive for Brucella infection and all seropositive samples were positive for Brucella genus specific RT-PCR. Abortion history, gender, repeat breeding, lactating animals and pregnancy status were key factors associated with seropositivity of animals. Results on logistic regression analysis indicated significant association of different potential risk factors such as history of abortion, repeat breeding and lactating stage with brucellosis in animals. From the results of this study, it is suggested that there is a need of continuous screening of dairy animals to control brucellosis and to minimize the risk of human brucellosis.

To Cite This Article: Khan I, Ali S, Hussain R, Raza A, Younus M, Khan N and Faheem M, 2021. Serosurvey and potential risk factors of brucellosis in dairy cattle in peri-urban production system in Punjab, Pakistan. Pak Vet J, 41(3): 459-462. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2021.028