Li Wengui, Yang Xiangdong, Lindahl Johanna F, Yang Guorong, Gilbert Jeffrey, Unger Fred
College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China.
Yunnan Institute of Endemic Disease Control and Prevention, Dali 671000, China.
Trop Med Infect Dis. 2021 Jul 15;6(3):134. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed6030134.
Brucellosis is an important zoonosis occurring globally. In addition to the risk for disease in humans, the disease causes production losses, since the disease in livestock is characterized by abortion and other reproductive failures. The disease is a public health concern in China, but no information is available on knowledge, perception and awareness of potential risk groups such as farmers, butchers and animal health workers; yet successful control requires compliance of those affected groups to be effective. Following the principles of the Ecohealth approach, emphasis was given to participation of all relevant stakeholders, use of qualitative and quantitative tools, and cross-sectorial collaboration. Data collection included on-farm questionnaires (N = 192) and collection of bulk milk samples of goat (N = 40), cattle (N = 45) and buffalo (N = 41) from farms, as well as serum samples (N = 228) from humans. Milk samples were tested with an ELISA for presence of antibodies, while a serum agglutination test was used for human samples. Qualitative work included 17 focus group discussion (FGD) with villagers and 47 in-depth interviews (IDI) with village animal health workers, doctors, and butchers, focused on knowledge, perception and awareness on zoonoses including brucellosis. Results from questionnaires indicate that abortions are a common problem; cattle with abortion history are kept for further insemination and the milk still consumed or sold. Antibodies against were detected in cows' (5/45) and goats' (1/40) milk samples, and in human samples (5/126) in Yiliang, while in Mangshi, all buffalo (N = 41) and humans (N = 102) were negative. FGD and IDI results showed an alarmingly low knowledge and awareness on zoonoses; particularly, low awareness about brucellosis was noted, even among the professional groups. Collaboration between village animal health workers and doctors was uncommon. No confirmed brucellosis cases were found in retrospective investigation of hospital and veterinary stations. This study demonstrates the presence of brucellosis in livestock and humans in Yunnan, indicating a non-negligible risk for humans. It is also made apparent that there is a need for increased awareness among both farmers and professionals in order to reduce the risk of zoonotic transmissions.
布鲁氏菌病是一种在全球范围内发生的重要人畜共患病。除了对人类构成疾病风险外，该疾病还会导致生产损失，因为家畜感染该疾病的特征是流产和其他繁殖障碍。在中国，这种疾病是一个公共卫生问题，但目前尚无关于农民、屠夫和动物卫生工作者等潜在风险群体的知识、认知和意识的信息；然而，成功的防控需要这些受影响群体的配合才能有效。遵循生态健康方法的原则，强调了所有相关利益攸关方的参与、定性和定量工具的使用以及跨部门合作。数据收集包括农场问卷调查（N = 192）以及从农场采集山羊（N = 40）、牛（N = 45）和水牛（N = 41）的散装牛奶样本，以及人类血清样本（N = 228）。牛奶样本通过酶联免疫吸附测定法检测抗体的存在，而人类样本则采用血清凝集试验。定性工作包括与村民进行17次焦点小组讨论（FGD）以及与乡村动物卫生工作者、医生和屠夫进行47次深入访谈（IDI），重点关注包括布鲁氏菌病在内的人畜共患病的知识、认知和意识。问卷调查结果表明，流产是一个常见问题；有流产史的牛仍被保留用于进一步授精，其牛奶仍被食用或出售。在宜良，奶牛（5/45）和山羊（1/40）的牛奶样本以及人类样本（5/126）中检测到了布鲁氏菌抗体，而在芒市，所有水牛（N = 41）和人类（N = 102）均为阴性。焦点小组讨论和深入访谈结果显示，人们对人畜共患病的知识和认知极低；特别是，即使在专业群体中，对布鲁氏菌病的认知也很低。乡村动物卫生工作者和医生之间的合作并不常见。在对医院和兽医站的回顾性调查中未发现确诊的布鲁氏菌病病例。本研究表明云南的家畜和人类中存在布鲁氏菌病，这表明对人类存在不可忽视的风险。同时也表明，有必要提高农民和专业人员的意识，以降低人畜共患病传播的风险。
