Singh, B.B.Jindal, Prateek2018-08-142018-08-142015http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810064482Brucellosis is a serious veterinary and medical concern in Punjab, India. Huge losses have been reported due to brucellosis in livestock populations of the country. However, limited studies have been carried out on porcine brucellosis in India. As far as we are aware, this is the first molecular identification of Brucella species in naturally infected pigs (Sus scrofa) in Punjab, India. The blood samples were collected from 330 pigs slaughtered in small slaughter shops located in 5 districts of Punjab state of India. The samples were first screened using Rose Bengal Plate test (RBPT), tube agglutination test (STAT) and ELISA. For molecular identification, conventional and Bruce ladder multiplex PCR were employed on all the seropositive and 30 negative samples. Nine (2.72%), 8 (2.42%) and 10 (3.03%) samples were found positive using RBPT, STAT and ELISA, respectively. Out of 10 seropositive samples, 4 were found positive using both conventional and multiplex PCR. The multiplex PCR indicated that all the Brucella positive samples belong to B. abortus species. Further, 123 human blood samples from pig farmers were collected and tested using RBPT, STAT and ELISA. For molecular identification, conventional and multiplex PCR were employed on all the seropositive and 20 negative samples. One sample was found positive using both RBPT and STAT whereas 4 human serum samples were found positive using ELISA. Out of 4 seropositive samples, 1 was found positive using both conventional and multiplex PCR. The multiplex PCR indicated that the Brucella positive sample belonged to B. abortus species. The results indicate that pigs could act as both victims and reservoirs of bovine brucellosis in India and policies must be developed for prevention and control of brucellosis in the countryEnglishThesis