Seroprevalence of camel brucellosis in Qatar

Abstract

Brucellosis is a significant zoonotic disease and one of the most common neglected diseases worldwide. It can infect a wide range of domestic and wild animal species. Infected animals are usually culled, causing substantial economic losses to animal owners and the country's economy in general. The disease is endemic among cattle, sheep, and goats in many countries around the Middle East and prevalent in most Gulf Cooperation Council countries, comprising a significant public health risk in the region. This study investigated the seroprevalence of brucellosis among camels in Qatar. Two hundred and forty-eight samples were collected from dromedary camels from 28 farms across the entire country. Each sample was tested for Brucella antibodies with both Rose Bengal and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Only samples that tested positive by both tests were considered seropositive for brucellosis. The overall prevalence was (20.6%, 95% CI, 15.7-26.1). The association between sex and seropositivity was slightly significant (Χ² = 4.32, P = 0.04), with higher seroprevalence in females. Camels below breeding age (i.e., < 4 years old) showed decreased seropositivity (3.4%, 95% CI, 0.1-17.8), compared to (22.8%, 95% CI, 17.4-29.0) seropositivity in camels ≥ 4 years of age, with a significant association between age groups and seropositivity (P = 0.02). Our results indicate that the seroprevalence of brucellosis in Qatar's camels is alarming, mandating more efforts to control the disease. The findings of this study will aid in selecting better effective measures to control camel brucellosis in Qatar. Further studies need to be conducted on Brucella infection among camels to determine the predisposing risk factors and the steps that should be followed to control brucellosis.

Keywords: Brucellosis; Camels; Livestock; Qatar; Seroprevalence.

Fig. 1

Distribution of camel population and seropositivity in the eight municipalities of Qatar