IMMUNOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DETECTION OF Brucella abortus IN BUFFALOES (Bubalus bubalis)

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of livestock species, wild animals and human beings which causes birth of unthrifty newborn and orchitis-epididymitis with frequent sterility in affected animals and undulant fever in human beings. In the present study a total of 73 serum samples were taken from buffaloes and bulls from organized as well as rural areas, eighteen of which had tested previously as positive samples by AB-ELISA. Out of these eighteen, four (22.22%) were found to be positive using dot-ELISA, while none of these were found to be positive with RBPT. For rest of the 55 samples both assays (RBPT and dot-ELISA) gave the same results: 12.72% of the samples were found to be positive; however, positivity was higher in case of dot-ELISA. In three (5.45%) out of seven positive samples Brucella specific DNA was detected in blood using PCR while in milk samples, no positive results were observed. The same results were observed through serological testing.