EFFICIENCY OF USING REINDEER ANTLERS FOR BRUCELLOSIS DETECTION
Keeping reindeer breeding as an ethnos-forming and profitable agribusiness is essential for the Arctic regions of Russia. A brucellosis natural focus among wild deer populations is a constant danger of brucellosis agent introduction into the infection-free herds, its spread among susceptible livestock and a threat to human health. Specificity of reindeer nomadic breeding and availability of many objective factors do not allow having diagnostic tests with full coverage of livestock herds that complicates control of brucellosis epizootic situation, meat and endocrine products quality. The article shows using technological processes in reindeer breeding to improve veterinary measures efficiency in the areas of brucellosis natural foci. Also, data of brucellosis pathogen persistence in reindeer antlers is provided. The study showed the possibility of brucellosis in-vivo bacteriological detection using antlers as a biomaterial. Of adult animals of all the sex and age groups from 4% to 22% cases of Brucella carriers with latent infection were registered within the infection natural foci. The infection rate among male-reproducers was significantly higher than that of the female reindeers for 1.3 times and was slightly higher than among the males-castrate. Of 36 brucellosis-carriers registered in 2 herds, only 14 reindeers (38.8%) had brucella specific immunoglobulins in diagnostic titers. The study of reindeer antlers as a biomaterial additionally revealed 8.7% brucella-carrying animals with chronic and latent forms of infection, which improved diagnostic tests and endocrine products quality control.