Molecular characterization of Brucella species in cattle, sheep and goats obtained from selected municipalities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Objective: To detect Brucella spp. isolated from raw milk, blood and lymph nodes samples of cattle, sheep and goats. Methods: A total of 1 955 samples comprising raw milk, blood and lymph nodes were collected from 880 cattle, 555 sheep and 520 goats from four municipalities in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Brucella isolates were recovered from theraw milk, lymph nodes and blood samples using Brucella selective media. Results: Detection of the Bru gene was observed in 130 isolates ranging from 81 (62.3%) in cattle to 16 (12.3%) in sheep. In cattle, the highest number of isolates was observed in the lymph node samples (24.6%), while the lowest was inraw milk (13.8%). In sheep, the highest number was observed in the blood samples (7.7%) and the lowest (0.8%) in the sheep's lymph nodes (0.8%), while in goats we detected the highest number of isolates in the blood samples (20%) and the lowest inraw milk (2.3%). Brucella abortus (B. abortus) (56.9%), Brucella melitensis (37.7%) and B. abortus vaccine strain S19 (5.4%) were confirmed from the isolates. Conclusions: The present study adds to the data available regarding B. abortus and Brucella melitensis infections in cattle, goats and sheep populations and highlights the effectiveness and advantages of AMOS-PCR over culture. The results also indicate the need for effective control measures to be implemented.