A twelve-year epidemiological analysis of confirmed notifiable diseases in domestic livestock species in Espírito Santo, Brazil

Abstract

This study analysed the epidemiology of notifiable diseases confirmed in domestic livestock species in Espírito Santo, Brazil, from 2012 to 2023, examining temporal and spatial patterns, frequency, and disease introduction. Data from the Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Defense of Espírito Santo (Idaf) included only officially confirmed cases of 48 diseases in cattle, horses, swine, poultry, bees, and sheep. Records were classified by disease, species, municipality, and year of confirmation. Spatial analyses were performed for rabies, equine infectious anemia (EIA), bovine tuberculosis, bovine brucellosis, glanders, and avian influenza, with maps by municipality. Statistical analyses used regression models and T-tests (P < 0.05) for temporal trend analysis. The diseases with the highest number of confirmed cases were enzootic pneumonia and circovirus in swine, EIA in horses, and tuberculosis and rabies in cattle. The following diseases were confirmed for the first time in the state: West Nile fever in horses, European foulbrood and small hive beetle in bees, and highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. The frequency of confirmed cases generally declined over the years, except for rabies, which occurred in 87.0% of municipalities. Glanders was confirmed in 16.6% of municipalities, EIA in 58.9%, while bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis were concentrated in the southern region, affecting 41.0% and 38.5% of municipalities, respectively. The findings reinforce the need for continuous surveillance, improved reporting, and targeted control strategies for notifiable diseases. In addition, this study contributed to understanding veterinary surveillance in livestock production systems worldwide.