Molecular evidence of Brucella abortus circulating in cattle, goats, and humans in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan

Publication Type

Journal Article

Name of Author

• Emmanuel Philip Lasuba Lita, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, TanzaniaFollow
• Ernatus M. Mkupas, Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
• Erneo B. Och, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Juba, Juba, South Sudan
• Gerald Misinzo, SACIDS Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases, SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
• Henriette van Heerden, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, South Africa
• Robab Katani, The Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
• Jacques Godfroid, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norwa
• Coletha Mathew, Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2025

Journal Name

Scientific Reports

Abstract

Brucellosis is a neglected zoonotic disease in most developing countries, including South Sudan. Precise identification of Brucella species is crucial for addressing public health and epidemiological concerns associated with brucellosis. The study aimed to identify Brucella species using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) from seropositive samples that were acquired from an earlier investigation. A total of 143 genomic DNA samples were extracted from brucellosis Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT) seropositive samples from humans (n=7), cattle (n=103) and goats (n=33). The samples were collected from Terekeka and Juba counties, Central Equatoria State (CES), South Sudan. The qPCR targeting the Brucella-specific IS711 insertion gene at the genus level was performed. Samples with a cycle threshold (Ct) of≤35 were considered positive and subjected to further Brucella speciation assays. Out of 143 DNA samples tested for genus-specific Brucella, 15 (10.5%) were positive including 4 (2.8%) from humans, 10 (6.9%) from cattle, and 1 (0.7%) from goats. Brucella abortus was identified in 5 (33.3%) of the positive samples at the genus level. The overall individual species infection rates with B. abortus were 6.6% (1/15) in humans, 20% (3/15) in cattle, and 6.6% (1/15) in goats. There was no B. melitensis detected in this study. This study identified B. abortus in cattle, goats and humans in CES, South Sudan. The findings suggest that cattle are probably the primary reservoirs for transmission of B. abortus, with infections occurring in goats and humans primarily resulting from cattle spillover

Keywords

Brucella abortus, Spill-over, Brucellosis, Cattle, Goats, Humans, South Sudan

Rsif Scholar Name

Emmanuel Philip Lasuba Lita

Rsif Scholar Nationality

South Sudan

Cohort

Cohort 3

Thematic Area

Food security and Agribusiness

Africa Host University (AHU)

Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania

Funding Statement

This study was funded by the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (RSIF) of the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) (Project Grant No. P165581) grant to SACIDS Africa Center of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals in Southern and East Africa (SACIDS-ACE) at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). EPL is a recipient of an RSIF-PASET doctoral scholarship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript. The findings and conclusions of this study are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.

Recommended Citation

Lita, E. P., Mkupas, E. M., Och, E. B., Misinzo, G., Heerden, H. v., Katani, R., Godfroid, J., & Mathew, C. (2025). Molecular evidence of Brucella abortus circulating in cattle, goats, and humans in Central Equatoria State, South Sudan. Scientific Reports https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87368-y