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BRUCELLOSIS VALIDATION
by WCDOA pubs
Expanding services at the Western Cape Veterinary Laboratory
by Thea Conradie
TTo improve, maintain and expand the client services of the Department, the Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory (WCPVL) in Stellenbosch became the first laboratory in the country to obtain accreditation in testing for Brucella abortus in African buffalo.
Brucellosis is a contagious disease of livestock and wildlife with significant economic impact. The disease is caused by various bacteria of the family Brucella, which tend to infect specific animal species.
It all started with a helpful phone call from Dr David Pretorius, a local wildlife veterinarian and owner of Motsumi Darts in Pretoria, who was keen to help the Serology section to obtain accreditation in testing buffaloes for B. abortus. Dr Pretorius managed to have buffalo sera delivered to the Stellenbosch Provincial Veterinary Laboratory to start the validation process.
Validation is a process that determines the fitness of a test method that has been standardised for an intended purpose or alternatively, the establishment and verification of the test method performance at a defined level of particular diagnostic application, which may also include continuous monitoring and extension of validation data.
Field samples were received from the Western Cape, Limpopo and the Free State area. A total of 293 buffalo serum samples were tested for Brucella abortus Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and Complement Fixation Test (CFT) by analysts in the Serology section.
It is of great economic importance and a requirement from the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD) to have buffaloes tested for B. abortus RBT & CFT.
B. abortus is a controlled disease and a laboratory testing for B. abortus must be a South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) 17025 accredited laboratory. By this requirement from DALRRD, private and State Veterinarians as well as private auction organisations are most likely to accept the results.
Surveillance is essential for preserving the health of our national buffalo herd and every time buffaloes are moved they need to be tested. It is also important for the farmer to have his/her herd maintain a negative status because as soon as an animal tests positive, the animal will need to be put down and the rest of the herd will need to be isolated until the herd tests negative again.
Brucellosis causes huge losses to the wildlife as well as dairy and meat industries. The economic impact can be direct, e.g. increased mortality, lowered export costs, or indirect, e.g. vaccination costs and veterinary costs.
After the validation testing, WCPVL obtained 100% in Diagnostic Sensitivity & Specificity for B. abortus RBT and 93% in Diagnostic Sensitivity and 100% in Diagnostic Specificity for B. abortus CFT. This means the B. abortus RBT & CFT test is deemed fit for testing in African buffalo at the Western Cape Provincial Veterinary Laboratory in Stellenbosch. AP
For more information, contact Thea Conradie:
