Seroprevalence of Bacillus antracis in Jos and environs

ABSTRACT

The fears of a possible out break of infection following media reports of intentional release of anthrax spores has drawn attention to the need to establish a baseline information on the prevalence of Bacillus anthracis in the cattle, sheep and goat population in Jos. We conducted a survey to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Bacillus anthracis in cattle, sheep and goats slaughtered at the Jos Abattoir using the agar diffusion method. The survey involved two hundred animal subjects (160 cattle, 20 each of sheep and goats). Out of the total number of samples screened, were seropositive, with antibody titre levels of 4/80. Of the 21 seropositive cases, 18 (9.0%) were cattle, were sheep and there was none for goats. These findings allay our fears of the possibility of an outbreak of anthrax infection following the consumption of meat from animals slaughtered at the Jos Abattoir.