Serological and histopathological investigation of brucellosis in cattle in Medea region, Northern Algeria.

This study was performed to determine the prevalence of bovine brucellosis in Medea region, Northern Algeria. The study was carried out on 495 non-vaccinated cattle, of which 280 (30 males and 250 females) belonged to 57 cattle farms and 215 cows were sampled at abattoirs of Medea. Sera collected from the cattle were tested using the Rose Bengal test and confirmed by histopathological analysis. Serological examination revealed that 7/57 farms (12.28%) were infected, of which 7/280 (2.5%) cattle were seropositive. The prevalence in females and males was 2.4% (6/250) and 3.33% (1/30), respectively. No significant difference has been observed between females and males. Older animals (≥8 years) were infected more. The prevalence of infection was 9.1%. Seroprevalence of The study indicates that brucellosis indeed exists in cattle in Medea and shows that the meat of slaughtered cattle tested positive for brucellosis may constitute a real risk of transmission to both butchery personnel and consumers, which requires that the meat of infected animals should be analyzed before being marketed.