{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]],"date-time":"2026-03-07T14:46:54Z","timestamp":1772894814273,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772755200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bovine brucellosis, caused primarily by Brucella abortus, remains a major constraint to livestock productivity and a persistent zoonotic threat. Although brucellosis is a controlled disease in South Africa, detailed subnational epidemiological evidence is limited, particularly for Mpumalanga Province. Understanding temporal, seasonal, and spatial patterns is essential for improving risk-based surveillance and control.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Materials and methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using routine diagnostic records from the Mpumalanga Provincial Veterinary Laboratory between January 2021 and December 2024. Rose Bengal Test (RBT) results from cattle originating from 17 Local Municipality Areas (LMAs) were analysed. Annual, seasonal, and spatial seroprevalence estimates were calculated, and independent predictors of RBT seropositivity were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 67,974 cattle serum samples were tested, of which 6,182 were RBT-positive, yielding an overall seroprevalence of 9.1% (95% CI: 8.9\u20139.3). Annual seroprevalence increased from 6.9% in 2021 to 7.4% in 2022, peaked at 13.1% in 2023, and declined to 7.5% in 2024. Clear seasonal variation was observed, with higher seroprevalence in spring (10.6%) and summer (10.2%) compared with autumn (6.8%) and winter (6.9%). Pronounced spatial heterogeneity was evident, with Emalahleni (13.3%), Victor Khanye (13.0%), and Mbombela (12.0%) identified as high-burden municipalities, while Mkhondo (1.7%) and Albert Luthuli (2.7%) recorded the lowest prevalence. In adjusted analyses, testing in 2023 was associated with nearly double the odds of seropositivity compared with 2021 (AOR 1.95; 95% CI: 1.81\u20132.11), and spring and summer remained significant predictors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Bovine brucellosis in Mpumalanga exhibits marked temporal variability, seasonal peaks, and spatial clustering. These findings support targeted, risk-based surveillance, strategically timed vaccination, and strengthened biosecurity, prioritising hotspot municipalities and high-risk seasons within a One Health framework.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0344037","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T18:32:11Z","timestamp":1772821931000},"page":"e0344037","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Bovine brucellosis seropositivity in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, 2021\u20132024: Temporal, and spatial trends"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9497-3089","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Themba Titus","family":"Sigudu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6810-4437","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"James Wabwire","family":"Oguttu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0344037.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"34","DOI":"10.1186\/s13690-017-0207-7","article-title":"Brucellosis in livestock and wildlife: zoonotic diseases without pandemic potential in need of innovative one health approaches","volume":"75","author":"J Godfroid","year":"2017","journal-title":"Arch Public Health"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0344037.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2295398","DOI":"10.1080\/07853890.2023.2295398","article-title":"Brucellosis: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment-a comprehensive review","volume":"55","author":"KA Qureshi","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ann Med"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0344037.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0239854","article-title":"Scoping review of brucellosis in Cameroon: Where do we stand, and where are we going?","volume":"15","author":"CG Laine","year":"2020","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"pone.0344037.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1016\/j.actatropica.2015.10.023","article-title":"Brucellosis in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current challenges for management, diagnosis and control","volume":"165","author":"M Ducrotoy","year":"2017","journal-title":"Acta Trop"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0344037.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"808","DOI":"10.1021\/acsinfecdis.3c00625","article-title":"Holistic one health surveillance framework: synergizing environmental, animal, and human determinants for enhanced infectious disease management","volume":"10","author":"S Singh","year":"2024","journal-title":"ACS Infect Dis"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0344037.ref006","article-title":"Global burden of human brucellosis: a systematic review of disease frequency","volume":"6","author":"AS Dean","year":"2012","journal-title":"PLoS Negl Trop Dis"},{"key":"pone.0344037.ref007","unstructured":"Republic of South Africa. 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