Detecção de anticorpos anti-Brucella ovis em ovinos do estado da Bahia

Ovine brucellosis is a contagious disease caused by Brucella ovis, characterized by clinical marked as epididymitis, abortion and lambs neonatal mortality, leading to reduction in reproductive efficiency of livestock and causing great economic damage. Considering the lack of seroepidemiologic data about B. Ovis in the State of Bahia and the importance of this disease in the economic sphere of sheep rearing, the design of this study aimed to achieve serum inquiry to investigate toe occurrence of anti-Brucella ovis in sheep in the Reconcavo Baiano. 183 serum samples were submited to the test of agar gel immunodiffusion (AGIO) using soluble antigens produced by the Veterinary Research Center Oesiderio Finamor (CPVOF) in Rio Grande do Sul. Six (3.27%) showed serological evidence of infection by B. Ovis Of 183 sera from sheep investigated by the AGIO to search for evidence of anti-Brucella ovis, with no significant difference between age and sex (p = 2.0 and p = 0.60, respectively) of animais with the proportion of sheep seropositives. The results obtained by serological survey have been lead to accept that the infection by B. Ovis it is present in commercial herds of sheep in the state of Bahia, and requiring more extensive studies in sheep population, adoption of sanitary measures of prevention and control to prevent the spread of the disease.