Potential Risks for Rabies Spill-Over from Apparently Healthy Dogs to Wildlife in Bauchi State, Nigeria

Domestic dogs are by far the most important specie in the maintenance and transmission of rabies in Nigeria. For rabies to spill over from a domestic to wild population, three conditions must be satisfied: susceptibility of the wild species, presence of the disease agent in the domestic population, and contact between the two populations of interest. The study was carried to investigate the potential of rabies spill over from the domestic dog population to the wildlife population in the Yankari and Lame-bura game reserves, in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Demographic data of dogs including age, sex, breed, functions and health management were obtained using structured questionnaires and oral interview. A total of 202 heads of dog were collected from dog meat markets to determine the presence of rabies antigen using fluorescent antibody test. Majority of the dogs owned were local breeds (86.95%) used mainly for security (40.62%) and hunting (40.78%) purposes. Dog owners reported low vaccination coverage (9.53%), a level considered insufficient to prevent rabies transmission. There was high population turnover of dogs with frequent opportunities for contacts with humans, domestic animals and wildlife species with conflicts at the level of the interface. Forty-six (22.8%) of the brain samples tested were positive for rabies. In conclusion, rabies in dogs is a threat to wildlife conservation and of increasing public health risk in Bauchi State, Nigeria.