by Agus Sumantri (Dinas Peternakan Kabupaten Sumbawa NTB)
Supervisor : Prof. Drh. Widya Asmara, SU., Ph.D. and Dr. drh. Widagdo Sri Nugroho, MP
Anthrax has been a problem in Sumbawa District. There has been casualties and economic loss to livestock mortility since the last 7 years (2002 – 2009). This study was to identify the influential factors of Anthrax cases in Sumbawa.
The sample were 67 Anthrax cases and 67 controls ( each consist of, 31 cattle, 25 buffaloes, 3 horses and 8 goats) were taken as samples. The samples were based on the Anthrax incidents in Sumbawa District during the 2002 -2009 period.
The description of breeders and livestocks in Sumbawa District involved the lower level of livestock owners’ education (38.8%); the average livestock ownership of 13 ±2.53 (95.52%); non-vaccinated livestocks due to unhealthy reason (56.3%); managerial factor, i.e. daily placement of livestock at rice fields (59.7%); sick livestock treatment of being death as corpse (49.7%); unsupervised butchering process by Dinas Peternakan (Office of Livestock) (71.9%); using market as meat distribution point (40.6%), unreported sick livestocks to Dinas Peternakan (89.6%), using reason of ignorance for not reporting (40%); environment factor, i.e. rice field as mortality location of livestock (32.8%), flat land as the mortality place of livestock (77.6%), river proximity as the mortality place of live stock (77.6%), wet season as the Anthrax incident time (83.6%), the middle of wet season as the time of incident (76.8%), rice field as village surrounding (61.2%), corpses treated as dogs’ prey (31.4%), not using housing area as burial/burning point (54,2%), the soil pH average of 6.9 ± 0.1, temperature between 19.7°C – 35.5°C, humidity between 21.8 – 99.0%, average rainfall of 4.28 ± 0.37, average wind speed 5.71 ± 0.05 knots, average wind direction 194.63 ± 11.123, and average Anthrax incident place elevation of 59.87 ± 11,05 m dpi. Factors associated to Anthrax incident in Sumbawa District involved unvaccinated livestock (OR=157.33), the availability of kokar/seasonal creek (OR= 25.1), livestock drinking point mixed with neighbors’ livestocks (OR=20.83), flat land as daily place of livestocks (OR= 19.04), wild dog availability (OR= 12.07), range scavenging livestock rearing system (OR=6.78), food freely searching system for livestock (OR=6.78), livestock feeding point mixed with neighbors’ livestock (OR= 5.82), grazing with neighbor livestock (OR=5,82), and land situated at lower land (OR= 4.02).
In general the Anthrax spreading in Sumbawa district seems to follow the water flow pattern, which is from higher to lower area, from up stream to down stream. In addition, the livestock traffie was also suspected to pray a role in Anthrax spreading. The role of dogs in Anthrax distribution needs further study.
Keywords : Anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, risk factors