Abstract

Mohammed Nega , Hailu Mazengia * and Gebreyesus Mekonen

A cross sectional study on bovine tuberculosis (BTB) was conducted in Northwest Ethiopia, Gondar and Dembia districts, from October 2007 to March 2008 to determine the prevalence and assess its zonnotic impact. Both questionnaire survey and comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CIDT) were used for this study. For the comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CIDT) test 311 cross breed cattle were considered whereas a total of 77 households were interviewed for the presence of tuberculosis cases within their family and habit of raw milk consumption. The result of CIDT indicates that the overall prevalence of bovine tuberculosis was 7.1%. In the outdoor and indoor management system individual animal prevalence of BTB was 4.5% (4/88) and 8.1% (18/223) respectively. The herd prevalence of bovine tuberculosis in outdoor and indoor production systems were 12.9% (4/31) and 26.1% (12/46), respectively. There was no significant difference between the two production systems (x2 = 1.2, df = 1, p > 0.05). The prevalence of BTB in age group 4 up to 7 year (12.1%), was significantly (x2 = 9.76, df = 2, P 0.05). There was, however, no statististically significant difference among tuberculosis cases that had the habit of raw milk consumption and those who do not have the habit (P > 0.05). In conclusion, tuberculosis was found to occur both in Gondar and Dembia districts. The knowledge cattle raising family about BTB was poor and their milk consumption habit could favor the transmission of the diseases from animals to human. This study discloses the potential risk factors for BTB in Gondar and Dembia districts.