Analysis of domestic animal movements in Colombia (2006-2014) and their possible influence on the bovine brucellosis spread.

ABSTRACT

Bovine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes great economic losses. The disease is endemic in Colombia and animal movements from infected herds carry a risk of introduction to other herds. With the objective of analyzing the animal movements and determining their relationship with bovine brucellosis, we performed a descriptive analysis of the space-time movement of livestock in Colombia between 2006 and 2014. Multiple linear regression models (MLR) were employed to determine the relationship between brucellosis status and animal movements at the province level. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis in cattle was the dependent variable, and a total of 14 independent variables related to location, year, census, and animal movements were included. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis was significantly affected by the province (F = 3.42; P < 0.001), the year (F = 9.03; P < 0.001), and bovine (F = 5.45; P = 0.02) and equine movements (F = 3.8; P = 0.053). Fewer cattle and more horses entered provinces with high prevalence than those with low prevalence, indicating the possible relationship between the animal movements and the brucellosis infection in the country.