SEROPREVALENCE OF BRUCELLOSIS IN A FEW IMPORTANT INDIAN GOAT BREEDS

Caprine brucellosis is an endemic disease and is present in many count ries. It causes heavy losses in goats and is transmissible to man. Ass essment of incidence of the disease was seen in pure-bred goats (Jamun apari, Barbari and Beetal) of breeding age belonging to 241 farmers of 143 villages of seven districts of U.P. and Punjab, India. Rapid, eas y, and held-based qualitative dot-Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay wa s used, for the first time in India, in the screening of field goats. Reactors in dot-Elisa were further tested with standard tube agglutina tion test (SAT). Incidence of brucellosis in farmers' goat flocks was 0.8%. Incidence in organized state government goat farms was 4.9%. Inc idence in goats slaughtered in local goat abattoir in Agra (U.P.) was 7.1%, The overall incidence of brucellosis in goats in areas surveyed was 4.0%. Dot-Elisa was found to be rapid, handy and suitable screenin g test in the field for the diagnosis of brucellosis in goats. (C) 199 8 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.