Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in Children and Adults in the Central Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by Brucella species. Early diagnosis of brucellosis is important so that treatment can start early. We aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of brucellosis among children and adult populations. Between April 1, 2021 and May 31, 2024, 3953 patients who were sent to microbiology laboratory from various outpatient clinics and wards with a preliminary diagnosis of brucellosis and tested for brucellosis were included. Serum samples of the patients were tested with Coombs Brucella Test. Patients with antibody titers of 1/160 and above were considered positive for brucellosis. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to analyze categorical variables. Seropositivity was not statistically significant between genders (p=0.397), but there was a statistically significant high level of seropositivity in people under 50 years of age (p=0.015). Seropositivity was observed mostly in patients from infectious diseases (n=52, 40%), followed by orthopedics (n=47, 36.2%) clinics. Brucellosis remains an important public health problem in endemic areas. Physicians should always consider brucellosis in the differential diagnosis.