Seroprevalence of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia in Cattle Slaughtered from Sokoto and Zamfara States, North-western Nigeria

Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), which is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies Mycoides, remains one of the most significant challenges to cattle farming in Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to huge economic losses and the exclusion of the affected country from the international cattle trade. This study assessed the seroprevalence of CBPP in cattle presented for slaughter at the major abattoirs in Sokoto and Zamfara States, Nigeria. Exactly 5 mL of blood sample was aseptically collected from each of the 400 heads of cattle via the jugular vein, and sera were then separated and stored at -20°C until the time of analysis. Serological analysis was performed using an IDEXX c-ELISA test kit for CBPP. The optical density of the reactions was read at 450 nm using a Uniequip® plate reader. Seropositive samples had a percentage inhibition (PI) of at least 50%. A chi-square test was applied using SPSS Version 16 for Windows® to determine statistical differences in the disease prevalence rates based on sampling units, cattle sex and breeds. The overall seroprevalence for CBPP was found to be 30.0% in the studied area. In Zamfara State, bulls had a significantly higher (P = 0.001) prevalence rate (32.7%) than cows (32.4%). The results of this study highlight the endemicity of CBPP in Sokoto and Zamfara States; thus, mandatory annual mass vaccinations of cattle against CBPP as well as restricted cattle movement were recommended.