Brucella Contamination in Cameroonian Market Milk

1,140 cow milk samples and merchant surveys were collected from open-air markets in Cameroon's Far North, North, and West regions. The dataset includes diagnostic results from iELISA, culture, real-time PCR, and NGS testing, plus merchant knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) surveys. It was created by Pierre Gontao to investigate the presence of Brucella abortus in milk for human consumption.

Use Cases

• Analyze regional variations in iELISA antibody positivity rates (e.g., 38.4% Far North vs. 8.9% West) to map contamination hotspots.
• Correlate merchant KAP survey responses (e.g., boiling practices, milk mixing) with culture or PCR positivity results to identify high-risk behaviors.
• Use real-time PCR and culture positivity percentages to model the prevalence of viable Brucella abortus in the milk supply chain.
• Investigate the epidemiological link, indicated by NGS data, between bacterial isolates from milk and those from regional livestock.

Strengths

• Includes 1,140 milk samples and corresponding merchant surveys, providing a paired diagnostic and behavioral dataset.
• Contains results from four distinct diagnostic methods (iELISA, culture, PCR, NGS) for cross-validation and detailed analysis.
• Covers three distinct regions of Cameroon (Far North, North, West), allowing for geographic comparison of contamination rates.

Limitations

• The dataset is small in file size (42.3 KB), indicating limited raw data or summary-level information rather than detailed sample-by-sample records.
• Sample collection is focused on three regions of Cameroon, limiting generalizability to other geographic areas or market systems.
• The specific variables and column structure are unknown, which may complicate immediate analysis without further documentation.

Provenance

Source

Pierre Gontao via figshare.

Collection Method

Cow milk samples and merchant surveys collected from 380 merchants per region; samples tested via iELISA, culture, real-time PCR, and next-generation sequencing.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Open-air markets in the Far North, North, and West regions of Cameroon.