International Journal of Animal Biology Vol. 1, No. 2, 2015, pp. 38-44 http://www.publicscienceframework.org/journal/ijab * Corresponding author E-mail address: hbayemi@yahoo.fr (P. H. Bayemi), H.Unger@iaea.org (H. Unger), Edward.Webb@up.ac.za (E. C. Webb) Bovine Brucellosis in Cattle Production Systems in the Western Highlands of Cameroon P. H. Bayemi 1, * , G. D. Mah 2 , K. Ndamukong 2 , V. M. Nsongka 1 , I. Leinyuy 1 , H. Unger 3 , N. M. Ndoumbe 1 , E. C. Webb 4 , M. D. Achukwi 1 , F. Hakoue 1 , N. D. Luogbou 1 1 Institute of Agricultural Research for Development Bambui (IRAD), Yaounde, Cameroon 2 University of Buea, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Department of Animal Science, Buea, Cameroon 3 Animal Production and Health Section, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria 4 University of Pretoria, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal and Wildlife Science, Pretoria, South Africa Abstract A study was carried out to compare the prevalence of Brucella abortus between semi-intensive and extensive managed cattle in the North West Region of Cameroon. A total of 689 cattle were tested for Brucella antibodies using the competitive Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Overall prevalence of brucellosis was found to be 5.2% (n = 36). There was strong evidence that cows in the extensive system (6.5%; n=32) had a higher infection rate than those in the semi intensive system (2%; n=4; P<0.0001). Bovine overall brucellosis infection rates were higher in the dry season (67%) than the rainy season (33%), (P<0.05). Healthier cattle (78%; P=0.0009), older cattle (64%; P=0.0003) and cows (75%; P=0.0027) were more infected. The prevalence of Brucella in the White Fulani breed was less severe than in other breeds (P=0.0003). Acha had more infected animals than the rest of the region (P<0.0001). The results of this study confirm the endemicity of bovine brucellosis in the North West Region of Cameroon and a moderate seroprevalence rate in extensive cattle management systems in the study area. There is a need for eliminating positive reactors, implementing control measures and raising public awareness of zoonotic transmission of brucellosis, and on improvement of extensive cattle management systems. Keywords Brucella, Cattle Systems, ELISA, Seroprevalence Received: March 12, 2015 / Accepted: April 2, 2015 / Published online: April 7, 2015 @ 2015 The Authors. Published by American Institute of Science. This Open Access article is under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 1. Introduction Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease (WHO 1986; Sanogo et al 2013), and is perhaps one of the most widespread and economically important diseases affecting cattle in tropical and subtropical regions (Nicoletti 1980; Staak 1990). It is one of the major bacterial infectious diseases, affecting domestic animals in many developing countries (Akakpo and Bornarel 1987; Corbel, 1997; Wastling et al 1999; McDermott and Arimi 2002). Although brucellosis is almost eradicated from a number of developed countries, it continues to be a major public and animal health problem in many parts of the world, particularly where livestock are a major source of food and income (Mahajan and Kulshreshtha1991; FAO 2003). The disease remains an uncontrolled problem in regions of high endemicity such as Africa, the Mediterranean region, Middle East, parts of Asia and Latin America (Refai 2002). In sub- Saharan Africa, bovine brucellosis remains the most widespread form of the disease in livestock (Akakpo and Bornarel 1987; Corbel 1997; McDermott and Arimi 2002; Bronsvoort et al 2009).It is caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella and is considered one of the most widespread