Frecuencia de Brucelosis en bovinos beneficiados en el camal municipal de Cuenca

Abstract

Brucellosis is a disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella and is widely distributed worldwide, representing a major public health concern due to its zoonotic transmission to humans. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of brucellosis in bovines slaughtered at the municipal slaughterhouse of Cuenca and to evaluate its association with epidemiological variables and macroscopic findings. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the municipal slaughterhouse of Cuenca (EMURPLAG). Blood samples were collected from 322 bovines prior to slaughter and analyzed in the laboratory using the competitive indirect ELISA test. The association between seropositivity and epidemiological variables, including sex, age category, and place of origin, was evaluated using Pearson’s chi-square test. The frequency of seropositivity to Brucella abortus was 17.39%. No statistically significant association was observed between seropositivity and the epidemiological variables analyzed. In contrast, a statistically significant association was identified between seropositivity and adjacent pathologies such as vaginal discharge, orchitis, diarrhea, and poor body condition. These results demonstrate exposure to Brucella abortus in bovines slaughtered at the municipal slaughterhouse of Cuenca and highlight the importance of implementing and strengthening epidemiological surveillance in slaughterhouses as a measure to protect public health.