Journal Article

Epidemiology and Diversity of Paratuberculosis in the Arabian Peninsula: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Implications for One Health

Hassan, Mohammad Mahmudul, Islam, Md Mazharul, Naeem, Aisha, Elfadl, Ahmed K., Abdeen, Randa, Alawneh, John I., Al-Hajri, Haya M., Sayeed, Md Abu, Dejene, Haileyesus

2025

Overview

Paratuberculosis is a chronic zoonotic bacterial infection, primarily affecting ruminants. This review examines the disease in the Arabian Peninsula, focusing on distribution, molecular diversity, prevalence, and associated risk factors. Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. After duplicate removal and eligibility screening, data extraction, analysis, and quality assessment were performed. Pathogen sequences were retrieved from NCBI GenBank for phylogenetic analysis. The review included a total of 31 published articles from 1997 to 2025, of which 26 were used in the meta-analysis. Most studies (n = 12) were published between 2011 and 2015, predominantly from Saudi Arabia (n = 22), with no reports from Qatar, Bahrain, or Yemen. The majority of the studies involved camels and sheep (n = 16 on each species), followed by cattle (n = 9), goats (n = 7), humans (n = 2), and buffalo (n = 1). Phylogenetic analysis delineates two major clades—Type S and Type C—suggesting greater genetic diversity in Type S. The estimated pooled seroprevalence and pathogen prevalence in livestock ruminants were 8.1% and 22.4%, respectively. Herd-level estimated pooled seroprevalence was 26.9%. Small ruminants (19.3%) were more sero-prevalent than large ruminants (7.4%), with goats (28.7%) significantly (p < 0.01) more affected than sheep (21.5%), camel (9.8%), and cattle (6.6%). Clinical signs in ruminants included chronic diarrhea, emaciation, anorexia, alopecia, wry neck, and dehydration. The reviewed study patterns and findings suggest high pathogen diversity and a significant risk of transboundary transmission at the human–animal interface in this region. A One Health surveillance approach is crucial, particularly on farms with diarrheic and emaciated animals. Establishing a national surveillance plan and phased (short-, intermediate-, and long-term) control programs is essential to mitigate economic losses, limit transmission, overcome the cultural barrier, and protect public health.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
• Subject: Analysis / Animal human relations / Animal husbandry / Animals / Anorexia / Bacterial diseases / Bacterial infections / Behavior / Bias / Biological diversity / Camelids / Camelus - microbiology / Case reports / Cattle / Chronic infection / Control programs / Cross-sectional studies / Data analysis / Dehydration / Diarrhea / Disease prevention / Disease transmission / Eating disorders / Economic impact / Epidemiology / Food contamination & poisoning / Genetic diversity / Genetic Variation / Goats / Humans / Infection / Johne's disease / Livestock / Livestock - microbiology / Maximum likelihood method / Meta-analysis / Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis - classification / Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis - genetics / Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis / One Health / Paratuberculosis / Paratuberculosis - epidemiology / Paratuberculosis - microbiology / Pathogens / Peninsulas / Phylogenetics / Phylogeny / Prevalence / Public health / Quality assessment / Quality control / Risk Factors / ruminants / Ruminants - microbiology / Saudi Arabia - epidemiology / Seroepidemiologic Studies / Serology / Sheep / Software / Systematic Review / Zoonoses / Zoonoses - epidemiology / Zoonoses - microbiology