Eleven-years study of sero-prevalence of Brucellosis among Patients attending in a medical center in southwest Iran (2011-2021)

Abstract

Abstract Background: Human brucellosis is one of the most common zoonosis infections, with a high prevalence in some regions of the world. It is considered one of the vital health and economic problem worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the trend of seroprevalence of brucellosis among Suspected Patients attending a medical center, in Ahvaz over an 11-year period. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive retrospective study, the data of all suspected brucellosis patients between 2011 and 2021 were extracted and analyzed. Wright's serological test 1/80 and above; and the titer of 2ME and Combs' Wright test of 1/40 and above were considered criteria for seropositive of brucellosis. Data were analyzed using SPSS-22. Results: Out of 25241 suspected patients, 645 were seropositive of Brucellosis (seroprevalence rate, 2.6%). The frequency of seropositive cases in men with 193 cases (2.7%) was higher than in women with 452 cases (2.5%) (p=0.14). The highest frequency of positive cases was observed in the age group of 11-20 with 59 cases (3.4%) and the lowest frequency was observed in the age group 1-10 years with 14 cases (1.5%) (p=0.001). The changes trend of seroprevalence of brucellosis in this period of time did not have a constant trend; and were in a zigzag pattern. There is a statistically significant difference between the frequency of positive cases in different years (p=0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study can be of great value to health care policy makers in understanding the epidemiology of Brucellosis in this region.

Keywords

• brucellosis
• infectious diseases
• seroprevalence
• sero-epidemiology