The Nexus between Bovine Tuberculosis and Fasciolosis Infections in Cattle of the Kafue Basin Ecosystem in Zambia: Implications on Abattoir Surveillance
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and fasciolosis are important but neglected diseases that result in chronic infections in cattle. However, in Zambia, these diseases are mainly diagnosed at abattoirs during routine meat inspection. Albeit the coinfection status, these diseases have been reported as nothing more than normal separate findings without an explanatory phenomena. Forthwith, we formulated this study to assess the possible association of the two diseases in a known high prevalence area on the Kafue basin ecosystem. Of the 1,680 animals screened, 600 (35.7%; 95% CI 33.4%–38%) and 124 (7.4%; 95% CI 6.1%–8.6%) had fasciolosis and tuberculous lesions; respectively, whilst 72 had both fasciola and tuberculous lesions representing 12% (95% CI 9.4%–14.6%) and 58.1% (95% CI; 49.3%–66.7%) of the total positives for fasciola and tuberculosis, respectively. Jaundice was seen in 304 animals, 18.1% (95% CI; 16.3%–19.9%) and was significantly correlated to fasciolosis ( , ). A significant association ( , , and ) was found between fasciolosis and tuberculous lesions. Simple logistic regression intimated fasciolosis as a strong predictor for tuberculous lesions with animals that had fasciola being five times more likely to have tuberculous lesions (odds ratio = 4.8, 95% CI: 3.3–7.0). This study indicates that transmission and spatial risk factors of communicable and noncommunicable diseases such as bTB and fasciolosis can be correlated in an ecosystem such as the Kafue flats. 1. Introduction In Zambia, bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, and fasciolosis caused by Fasciola gigantica have been reported to be causing considerable economic losses to the livestock industry annually through abattoir condemnations accompanied with loss of production efficiency [1–9]. The frequency of abattoir condemnations from the two conditions has been well documented in Zambia through various studies that have shown direct losses to the general agribusiness and the livestock industry in particular [2, 5, 7]. Whereas bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one of the most intractable diseases of cattle in Zambia [3], fasciolosis on the other hand is treatable despite its high prevalence and endemicity, mainly due to neglect [7]. These disease conditions have always been considered separately despite showing a concurrent infection in nature only apparent through abattoir findings. Infection by the parasitic trematode Fasciola gigantica is acquired by cattle through the ingestion of vegetation on which the infective metacercariae have encysted. The metacercariae excyst in the
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