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Startling Findings in BAU Research

Bovine Brucellosis Causes 2.41 Crore Taka Annual Loss per Farm

Milk production declines drastically in latent and active brucellosis

Retained placenta identified as the primary risk factor

Mass vaccination yields over eightfold economic return

Campus Correspondent

Jul 24, 2026 15:28

Bovine brucellosis is not only dealing a severe blow to Bangladesh's dairy farm economy but is also causing losses worth millions of taka without the knowledge of farmers. This startling revelation emerged from a two-year research project conducted by a team of scientists at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). The study shows that a cow with active brucellosis yields an average of 1.01 liters less milk daily compared to a healthy one, while a cow with latent or hidden infection without external symptoms gives 0.53 liters less. Consequently, large dairy farms in the country suffer an average annual loss of nearly 2.41 crore BDT. Published recently in the international research journal 'Animal Diseases', the study identified retained placenta after calving as the biggest risk factor for brucellosis.

On July 24, Friday, the principal investigator of the study, Professor Dr. A.K.M. Anisur Rahman from the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine under the Department of Medicine at BAU, shared details of the research.

Led by Professor Dr. A.K.M. Anisur Rahman, the research team included Professor Dr. Md. Siddiqur Rahman, Professor Dr. M. Ariful Islam, and Department of Livestock Services official and PhD student Md. Shafiul Alam. Other team members were Nazmul Islam, Bishwa Jyoti Adhikary, Shanta Islam, R.S. Mahmud, and Muhammad Akteruzzaman. Furthermore, two experts from the University of Thessaly in Greece, Lefteris Meletis and Polychronis Kostoulas, collaborated on advanced mathematical modeling for disease diagnosis. The field-level research was completed with funding from the government's Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP) and cooperation from field officials of the Department of Livestock Services.

Between January 2023 and December 2024, data and milk samples were collected from 2,696 lactating cows across 17 large commercial dairy farms in major milk-producing regions. Using Bayesian mixed-effects multinomial regression, the cows were categorized into healthy, latent, and active infection groups. Dr. Anis noted, "Milk production drops even in latent cases without visible symptoms, while active cases cause abortions and reproductive failure." He warned that humans can also contract this dangerous zoonotic disease by consuming raw milk. The study concluded that planned mass vaccination is the most cost-effective solution, saving up to 8.14 BDT for every 1 BDT invested. Notably, a team led by Professor Dr. Md. Ariful Islam had previously developed a low-cost vaccine for bovine brucellosis under BAS-USDA funding.

Previously, a low-cost vaccine for this cattle disease was developed under the leadership of Professor Dr. Md. Ariful Islam, funded by BAS-USDA. Professor Dr. Mosammat Minara Khatun from the same department, Md. Jaminur Rahman, a lecturer in the Poultry Science Department at Gono University, Bakr agricultural university postgraduate student Md. Raisul Islam, and undergraduate students Arnab Saha and Nahiduzzaman participated in this research.

When asked about the objective of developing the Brucellosis vaccine, Professor Dr. Md. Ariful Haque stated that according to the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), animals infected with Brucellosis must be culled and buried or incinerated. While this directive is followed in many countries, it is extremely difficult to implement in Bangladesh. This is because, despite provisions for compensation in Bangladesh, its application is almost non-existent, unlike in other countries. Even with many foreign vaccines available, the purpose of developing this vaccine was to address the significant differences in vaccine efficacy based on geographical location for each microorganism. Therefore, the vaccine was developed by researching local pathogens specific to Bangladesh. In essence, the innovation of this vaccine is driven by the aim of providing farmers with low-cost vaccines and considering public health.
//DBTech/ BTO/EDP//