Brief communication (Original). Certain risk factors associated with positive SCCIT test for tuberculosis in cattle at two cities in Pakistan

Background: Bovine tuberculosis is a significant disease in animals and monitoring is important in preventing spread and transmission to man.

Objective: We identified risk factors for a positive tuberculin test (SCCIT) in cattle at Faisalabad and Okara, Pakistan.

Methods: Fifty-nine herds (230 cattle) at Faisalabad and 38 (291 cattle) at Okara were included in the study. The risk factors studied included area, farm, nature of villages, location, total cattle, presence of other animals, other species (buffalo, small ruminants, equines or pets), age, sex, live weight, calving number, lactation length, lactation status, total milk produced, and per day milk.

Results: Our results showed an association between age, live weight, calving number, lactation length, and total number of cattle at the farm with positive tuberculin test. The analysis of variance technique also showed association of all of these factors except lactation length with positive skin test. The results of logistic regression analysis also suggested an association of age, live weight, calving number, total animals at the farm, and total cattle at the farm with positive SCCIT test in cattle.

Conclusions: The prevalence of tuberculosis in cattle is around 9% at herd level and 2% at animal level with stronger risk factors being live weight, total animals, and total cattle at the farm.