Results
Title

Epidemiological and Clinical Aspects of Human Brucellosis in Eastern Anatolia.

Authors

Aypak, Cenk; Altunsoy, Adalet; Çelik, Ali Kutta

Abstract

Background: We investigated the seroprevalence of human brucellosis and risk factors in a village in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey, where a brucellosis outbreak among cattle had recently occurred. Patients and Methods: All 501 inhabitants enrolled were screened with the Rose Bengal Test and were asked to fill out a questionnaire to determine the signs and symptoms of brucellosis and the risk factors. Patients' laboratory findings and clinical responses were also evaluated. Results: The Rose Bengal Test was positive in 44 persons. In comparison of age groups, fever (20.2%), arthralgia (19.2%) and weight loss (8.4%) were frequently seen in children (p< 0.05). Hepatomegaly (17.9%) was also prevalent in the age group of 0 to 14 years (p<0.05). The consumption of dairy products, a family history of brucellosis, and raising livestock were significantly related to seropositivity (p<0.05). Rifampicin plus doxycyline was the most common regimen administered in these cases (54.5%) and also had the highest relapse rate (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Brucellosis remains an important public-health problem in the rural areas of Turkey. Appropriate public health measures and education must be pursued to eradicate human brucellosis.

Subjects

EASTERN Turkey; EPIDEMIOLOGICAL research; BRUCELLOSIS; SEROPREVALENCE; HEALTH risk assessment; EPIDEMICS; CATTLE diseases

Publication

Journal of Nippon Medical School, 2012, Vol 79, Issue 5, p343

ISSN

1345-4676

Publication type

Academic Journal

DOI

10.1272/jnms.79.343