| Sumario: | capacity and infrastructure of government services for disease identification and control
are often limited. In the absence of systematic surveillance systems for animal
diseases, the information on pathogens affecting livestock has been filled by targeted
surveys conducted in certain locations and for specific conditions. The picture provided
by these ad hoc surveys can be distorted with a bias towards the most widely
known diseases or towards those for which diagnostic methods are more readily available.
Participatory rural appraisals with cattle farmers in Tanzania revealed that disease in
livestock is one of the main factors contributing to limited productivity and income
generation. Often, the causes of livestock disease are unknown and differential diagnosis
is not conducted resulting in mistreatment of animals and long-term negative
economic impact. In response to this concern, a multipathogen survey was conducted
among cattle farmers in two regions in Tanzania to (i) confirm the presence of wellknown
cattle pathogens, and (ii) investigate the presence of cattle pathogens rarely
looked for in the area before. Sick cattle (n=400) were actively searched among cattle
herds and blood samples collected along with information on farming practices.
ELISA diagnostic kits were used to detect antibodies against the following cattle
pathogens: contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), anaplasmosis, theileriosis
(x2), babesiosis, brucellosis, Rift Valley fever, Q fever, neospora, infectious bovine
rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhea (BVR) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus
(BRSV).
The results of the survey will be presented. The relative presence of each of the studied
pathogens will be presented and the characteristics of the farming populations and
factors that may be associated with the relative presence discussed. Finally we will
discuss the implications of farming management practices on the presence/absence of
certain pathogens.
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