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Prevalence of Brucellosis in Small Ruminants in Africa from 2000 to 2025: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
by
, , and
Weldeab Solomon Ghebrezgabher
1,2,
Jiazhen Ge
1,3,
Guodong Song
1,
Fuying Zheng
1,* and
Yuefeng Chu
1,4,5,* 1
State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, College of Veterinary Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, China
2
National Higher Education and Research Institute, Hamelmalo Agricultural College, Keren P.O. Box 397, Eritrea
3
College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
4
Gansu Province Research Center for Basic Disciplines of Pathogen Biology, Lanzhou 730046, China
5
Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Ruminant Disease Prevention and Control (West), Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730046, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Vet. Sci. 2026, 13(7), 638; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci13070638
Submission received: 20 April 2026
/
Revised: 24 June 2026
/
Accepted: 27 June 2026
/
Published: 30 June 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Infectious Diseases in Animals: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Control Strategies)
Simple Summary
Brucellosis is a serious zoonotic disease caused by Brucella species, affecting both animals and humans globally. It is endemic in African livestock, causing critical economic loss. This systematic review and meta-analysis focused on the prevalence of brucellosis in small ruminants (sheep and goats) across Africa by country, region, continent, and diagnostic methods. Articles published between 2000 and 2025 were systematically searched in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. All relevant data were collected and meta-analyzed. Due to high heterogeneity (I2 > 97%), a single pooled estimate for Africa is not epidemiologically valid. Africa’s apparent pooled seroprevalence was 4.9% (95% CI: 3.0–7.5%; prediction interval: 0.1–32.1%), and pooled PCR positivity was 12.7% (95% CI: 6.0–21.9%; prediction interval: 0.8–38.9%). More than half of African countries from all regions reported the presence of small ruminant brucellosis, with significant country-level and regional variations. Both species of B. abortus and B. melitensis were reported. Knowing the prevalence of small ruminant brucellosis in Africa is crucial for implementing effective prevention and control programs. Therefore, this study calls for a multi-level prevention and control strategies, combining vaccination (mass or targeted regional), tiered WOAH-aligned surveillance, and public awareness aligned with safe animal product handling.
Abstract
Brucellosis remains a critical zoonotic threat to public health and livestock economies globally, particularly constraining small ruminant productivity in Africa, yet continental data remain scarce. The objectives of this review are to provide apparent small ruminant brucellosis prevalence/positivity estimates across Africa by country, region, continent, and diagnostic modality. A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar for articles published from 2000 to 2025. Data from 151 eligible studies representing 28 countries were extracted and meta-analyzed. Due to extreme heterogeneity (I2 > 97%), a single continental pooled estimate is not epidemiologically meaningful. For descriptive reference, Africa’s apparent pooled seroprevalence was 4.9% (95% CI: 3.0–7.5%; prediction interval: 0.1–32.1%), and pooled PCR positivity was 12.7% (95% CI: 6.0–21.9%; prediction interval: 0.8–38.9%). Descriptive regional seroprevalence ranged from 3.3% (95% CI: 1.2–7.4%) (West Africa) to 6.2% (95% CI: 3.8–9.4%) (East Africa). Country-level crude seroprevalence ranged from 0.18% (Morocco) to 19.53% (Libya), with diagnostic method prevalence ranging from 3.37% (2-Mercaptoethanol (2-ME)) to 21.54% (Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)). Both B. abortus and B. melitensis are reported with significant variations. Data absence from several African countries highlights a critical knowledge gap. We propose multi-level prevention and control strategies.
Keywords:
Africa; Brucella; Brucellosis; meta-analysis; one health; seroprevalence; small ruminants
