Reactivity to infection by <em>Brucellas</em> in the population of the province of Las Tunas during 2017

Abstract

Background: Las Tunas is one of the provinces that have been reported with infection by Brucellas in the livestock sector. Brucellosis shows a symptomatology that is not well-defined in humans, making the early detection difficult, favoring the progress to chronicity and complicating the therapeutic alternatives.Objective: to describe the results of the microbiological studies of Brucellas conducted at the serology laboratory of the Provincial Center of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Microbiology of Las Tunas, during the year 2017.Methods: a cross-sectional, descriptive observational study was carried out in a universe of 857 serological studies of Brucellas conducted at the aforementioned laboratory during the period herein declared. The following items were assessed: reactivity to Brucella antigens, place of origin and sex of the patients and the determination of the antibody titers in the reactive cases.Results: 46 serological tests were reactive, 5,36 % of the studies; prevailing the male patients (92,29 %); there was a higher positive reaction in the municipality of Las Tunas (56,52 %), followed by Puerto Padre (30,43 %). In Colombia and Amancio no reactive cases were found. In the antibody titration of the reactive serums dilutions 1:20 with 25 serums were more frequent (54,34 %), followed by 1:40 with 19 serums (4,3 %), both of them considered reactive to Brucellas. Only one positive case (1:160) was reported, representing 2,17 %.Conclusions: there was prevalence of serological studies reactive to Brucellas. The health staff of the province must consider brucellosis as a possible diagnosis, mostly in groups at risk.

Keywords

• serology
• brucellosis
• zoonoses.