Determinants of Bovine Tuberculosis in Dairy Farms Covered by the Tuberculin Screening Test: A Herd Level Case Control Study

Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) is one of the most important zoonoses. Mycobacterium bovis is the responsible agent of BTB in the cattle. The current study was conducted to investigate the determination factors of BTB in dairy farms covered by the tuberculin screening test. A herd level case- control study was carried out in 124 (62 cases & 62 controls) dairy farms in the provinces of Tehran, Alborz, Hamedan, Isfahan, Qazvin, Qom, Mazandaran and Semnan. The control farms were individually matched with case farms by farm capacity and distance. Statistical analyses were done by Stata 11.2 using conditional logistic regression. Proper management of manure (OR=0.12; 95% CI: 0.03-0.49), regular flaming of stalls (OR= 0.21; 95% CI: 0.04-0.92) and complete fencing around the farm (OR= 0.17; 95% CI: 0.03-0.81) decreased while the presence of rodents (rat) (OR= 4.90; 95% CI: 1.04-23.01) increased the risk of infection. The interaction among these variables was not statistically significant According to the results, there is an essential need to pay more attention to rodent control in farms.