Bovine Tuberculosis (BTB) in Cattle in Zambia

There are about 3 million cattle in Zambia of which the traditional farmers own approximately 80% (UKaid 2011). Livestock farming is mainly concentrated in three provinces: the Southern, Western, and Eastern Provinces (Fig.

In rural areas, cattle are typically grazed communally on land held in trust by the local chiefs. In certain areas, farmers practice transhumant grazing, where there is a seasonal migration of livestock from the highlands to suitable grazing and watering areas. One such area is the Kafue flats, or Butwa, one of the few lacustrine wetlands in Zambia, which supports about 300,000 cattle (Munyeme et al. 2010a, b). Here, cattle are moved to the flood plains immediately after the harvest season (March to May) and returned to the highlands with the onset of the rainy season (November to December). Some herds though remain permanently on the flood plains. Three types of herding systems exist on the Kafue flats (Munyeme et al. 2008, 2009a, b):

• Village-resident herding, where herds are kept and graze in the villages

• Transhumant herding with cattle moving between villages and flood plains depending on the water levels in the plains

• Interface herding, in which herds are permanently kept on the flood plains where they are in ongoing contact with BTB-infected wildlife on the floodplains

Bovine TB is endemic in the traditional Zambian cattle sector, but its prevalence and distribution across the country is unknown. There are indications that the disease

S. Malama (*)

Biological Sciences Department, School of Natural Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

e-mail: Sydney.malama@unza.zm

M. Munyeme ∙ J. B. Muma

Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019 445

A. B. Dibaba et al. (eds.), Tuberculosis in Animals: An African Perspective, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-18690-6_23

Fig. 23.1 Map of Zambia showing the Kafue basin

is widespread and that it may have high herd prevalences. As far back as 1947, herd prevalences of up to 49.8% were recorded in areas within and adjacent to the Kafue flats (Cook et al. 1996; Munyeme et al. 2009a, b). Abattoir reports from Namwala, a district located within the Kafue Basin, indicate that, based on the presence of typical tubercles detected at slaughter, 16.8% of cattle in this area suffered from BTB (Munyeme and Munang’andu 2011), and in the Western Province of Zambia, BTB was reported as one of the most common causes of beef carcass condemnation following postmortem inspection at abattoirs, signifying its economic importance (Phiri 2006). This situation is likely to be similar in most of the high cattle-producing areas in the country where similar management systems are practiced.

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