Risk of human exposure to brucella pathogens through consumption of cultured milk in the southern province of Zambia.
type: CreativeWork
description: Brucella is bacteria that causes Brucellosis, one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the world. The disease affects mainly animals but, in some cases, humans who are considered incidental hosts. Brucellosis is transmitted to humans through inhalation of aerosols or contact with skin sores, by the intake of infected animal products such as undercooked meat as well as consumption of raw milk or unpasteurised milk and dairy products. This study aimed to estimate the risk of human exposure to Brucella pathogens through the consumption of cultured milk in the Southern Province of Zambia. The specific objectives were to determine the consumption patterns of cultured milk by the population in the three districts of the Southern province and to estimate the likelihood of being exposed to Brucella spp. through cultured milk. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire to interview traditional farmers at the milk collection centres and in selected households. Survey data were analysed in the STATA Statistical package to obtain frequencies on consumption patterns of cultured milk. A risk model was developed to estimate the risk of being exposed to Brucella spp. by consuming contaminated cultured milk using the Monte Carlo simulation in ModelRisk®. The study had 236 males and 87 females, representing 73.1% and 26.9%, respectively. The proportion of farmers that fermented milk using raw milk was 65.3%. Boiled milk was used by 13.3%, and 21.7% purchased milk already fermented, not knowing if it was. The most common milk fermentation period was one day (40.9%), followed by those who fermented for two days (29.1%). Most respondents (63.8%) fermented milk at room temperature, and the majority (52.9%) consumed half to one litre of sour milk per person per day, while 47.1% consumed less than half a litre. The frequency of consumption was two-three times per day (60.7%), followed by one-two times per day (35.6%) and more than once per week (3.7%). The surveys showed th…
abstract: Brucella is bacteria that causes Brucellosis, one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the world. The disease affects mainly animals but, in some cases, humans who are considered incidental hosts. Brucellosis is transmitted to humans through inhalation of aerosols or contact with skin sores, by the intake of infected animal products such as undercooked meat as well as consumption of raw milk or unpasteurised milk and dairy products. This study aimed to estimate the risk of human exposure to Brucella pathogens through the consumption of cultured milk in the Southern Province of Zambia. The specific objectives were to determine the consumption patterns of cultured milk by the population in the three districts of the Southern province and to estimate the likelihood of being exposed to Brucella spp. through cultured milk. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire to interview traditional farmers at the milk collection centres and in selected households. Survey data were analysed in the STATA Statistical package to obtain frequencies on consumption patterns of cultured milk. A risk model was developed to estimate the risk of being exposed to Brucella spp. by consuming contaminated cultured milk using the Monte Carlo simulation in ModelRisk®. The study had 236 males and 87 females, representing 73.1% and 26.9%, respectively. The proportion of farmers that fermented milk using raw milk was 65.3%. Boiled milk was used by 13.3%, and 21.7% purchased milk already fermented, not knowing if it was. The most common milk fermentation period was one day (40.9%), followed by those who fermented for two days (29.1%). Most respondents (63.8%) fermented milk at room temperature, and the majority (52.9%) consumed half to one litre of sour milk per person per day, while 47.1% consumed less than half a litre. The frequency of consumption was two-three times per day (60.7%), followed by one-two times per day (35.6%) and more than once per week (3.7%). The surveys showed th…
author: Thendji, Muila Lysa
language: en
date published: 2023
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:05:53Z
provider: University of Zambia
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Zambia