Eficacia de la prueba ELISA en muestras de leche para la vigilancia epidemiológica de la brucelosis bovina

Bovine brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease capable of infecting cattle for long periods of time. Some animals are asymptomatic, thus maintaining the disease in the herd. Cattle become infected after ingestion of contaminated milk, feed, water; also by contact with infected animals, uterine secretions or aborted fetuses and by vertical transmission. Little is known about the epidemiological situation of brucellosis in dairy herds in the province of Azuay. An initial step for the formulation of control and eradication programs would be the implementation of a surveillance system that allows characterizing the state of infection in dairy areas, and thus early detection of the entry of the disease into free herds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the indirect ELISA test (IDEXX, Brucella tank milk) in milk pools as a tool to identify herds that have not been in contact with the disease, allowing the characterization of areas free of brucellosis.