Research Article | 24 Jan 2026

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of farmers and butchers related to bovine tuberculosis and associated economic losses from ruminant organ seizures at the Koupéla abattoir, Burkina Faso: A One Health perspective

Mireille Catherine Kadja1 ORCID , Davy Wilfried Bassila1 ORCID , Adama Sanou2 ORCID , Kadré Sanfo3 ORCID , Edmond Onidje4 ORCID , Yacouba Kouadima2 ORCID , Tiéssala Ramatou Héma2 ORCID , and Laibané Dieudonné Dahourou5 ORCID Show more

1. Ecole Inter-Etats des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires, Dakar, Sénégal.

2. Centre MURAZ de Bobo-Dioulasso, Université Nazi BONI (UNB), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

3. Direction de la santé publique vétérinaire et de la législation du Burkina Faso.

4. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.

5. Institut des Sciences de l’Environnement et du Développement Rural, Université Daniel Ouezzin Coulibaly, Dédougou, Burkina Faso.

Corresponding author: Mireille Catherine Kadja (mwonou@yahoo.fr)

Received: 2025-09-13, , Accepted: 25-11-2025 Published: 2026-01-24

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ONE HEALTH | pg no. 27-37 | Vol. 12, Issue 1 | DOI: 10.14202/IJOH.2026.27-37
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Abstract

          
Background and Aim: Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a neglected zoonotic disease in sub-Saharan Africa, with substantial implications for public health and livestock-based livelihoods. In Burkina Faso, evidence on stakeholders’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward bTB and its economic consequences remains limited, particularly outside major urban centers. This study aimed to assess the KAP of livestock farmers and butchers regarding bTB in Koupéla and to estimate financial losses associated with suspected bTB-related organ seizures at the local slaughter facility between 2016 and 2023. 
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional KAP survey was conducted among 115 participants (83 livestock farmers and 32 butchers) using structured questionnaires administered between October 2023 and January 2024. Knowledge and practice scores were computed using predefined scoring systems, and associations with sociodemographic variables were analyzed using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests. In parallel, a retrospective analysis of official abattoir records from January 2016 to December 2023 was performed to quantify suspected bTB lesions and estimate direct and indirect financial losses resulting from organ seizures and carcass weight reduction. 
Results: Although 94.8% of participants had heard of bTB and 88.7% recognized its zoonotic nature, only 8.7% demonstrated satisfactory knowledge. Risky practices were common, including consumption of raw milk (59.1%) and meat from dead animals (29.6%), while only 44.3% of respondents exhibited practices considered protective against bTB transmission. Education level was significantly associated with knowledge (p < 0.05). During the eight-year period, 213 organs were seized from 271,032 slaughtered ruminants, corresponding to an overall suspicion rate of 0.08%, with cattle showing the highest species-specific rate (0.44%). Total financial losses due to bTB were estimated at 22,977,180 West African Financial Community Franc (approximately USD 36,760), largely attributable to indirect losses in cattle. 
Conclusion: Substantial knowledge gaps and high-risk practices regarding bTB persist among livestock stakeholders in Koupéla, contributing to ongoing zoonotic risk and considerable economic losses. Targeted education, improved biosecurity practices, and integrated One Health interventions are essential to mitigate the public health and economic impact of bTB in similar rural and peri-urban settings. 

         
Keywords: bovine tuberculosis, Burkina Faso, economic losses, knowledge, attitude, and practices, One Health, ruminant slaughterhouse, zoonotic disease, zoonotic tuberculosis.