The history of brucellosis in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories and its re-emergence

Abstract

There are few publications on brucellosis within the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Thereason is possibly because the cattle population has been reportedly free of the disease for many yearsuntil a re-emergence occurred in the Fiji Islands (Viti Levu) in 2009. This paper reports on the outbreak ofbrucellosis in Fiji and its progression between 2009 and 2013 in the context of an overview of brucellosisin the Pacific Island community. Review of the literature found only 28 articles with the oldest record ofbrucellosis being in 1965 in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and from human cases in Tonga in 1980. The Fijioutbreak of Brucella abortus occurred in cattle in 2009 (Wainivesi basin) in the Tailevu province. Prior tothe outbreak, Fiji declared freedom from B. abortus to OIE in 1996 after a successful eradication campaign.During the course of the outbreak investigation, serum samples were collected from between 9790 and21,624 cattle per annum between 2009 and 2013 from 87 farms on the main island of Fiji (Viti Levu).Blood samples were tested for brucellosis using the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) in 2009 and the indirect ELISAtest in subsequent years. At the time of the outbreak in Fiji (2009) the apparent prevalence in cattle was1.50% and this has fluctuated since the outbreak. The True Prevalence (TP) for the main island in Fiji forthe indirect ELISA tests was 2.40% in 2010, reached a peak of 3.49% in 2011 then reduced to 0.12% by 2013.The significant reduction in prevalence compared to 2010 is most likely due to the control programs beingimplemented in Fiji. The re-emergence of B. abortus in Fiji could be attributed to the lack of monitoringfor the disease until 2009 combined with inadequate management of exposed animals, thus illustratinghow important it is for authorities not to become complacent. Continued awareness and monitoring forbrucellosis is essential if future outbreaks are to be avoided.