Species Circulating in Smallholder Dairy Cattle in Tanzania.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by bacteria of the genus , which results in economic losses relating to livestock and threatens public health. A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the molecular prevalence of species in smallholder dairy cattle in six regions of Tanzania from July 2019 to October 2020. Dairy cattle ( = 2048) were sampled from 1371 farms. DNA extracted from blood and vaginal swabs was tested for using qPCR targeting the IS711 gene and positives were tested for the alkB marker for and BMEI1172 marker for . The molecular prevalence was 3.5% (95% CI: 2.8-4.4) with the highest prevalence 8.1% (95% CI: 4.6-13.0) in Njombe region. was the predominant species detected (66.2%). Further studies are recommended to understand the source of and its implications for veterinary public health. Livestock keepers should be informed of the risks and biosecurity practices to reduce the introduction and control of . Cattle and small ruminant vaccination programs could be implemented to control brucellosis in high-risk populations in the country.