The seroprevalence of human brucellosis in different age groups patients and other associated risk factors in Duhok, Iraq

Abstract

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease contributing to significant health and economic problems worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence and the associated risk factors of brucellosis among people admitted to Azadi general hospital, Duhok, Iraq. Patients and Methods: A total of 1283 patient blood samples (603 males and 680 females) were collected through the period of January 2017 to December 2017 from people at different age groups admitting Azadi general hospital, Duhok, Iraq. All collected sera were screened for the seroprevalence of Brucella using Rose Bengal plate test kit. Results: Among the 1283 blood samples, the overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was 17.8%. The highest rate was recorded in age group between 21–30 years(22.7%) and the different distribution of human brucellosis among age groups was statistically significant (p=0.0076). The frequency of brucellosis in females (20%) was significantly higher than males (15.3%) (p=026). The distribution of brucellosis according to the seasonal changes was statistically significant (p= 0.003) (25.64% in July and 9.75% in December). Conclusions: The incidence of the brucellosis is high, and it remains a challenging health problem. The age, gender, and seasonal changes are considered as important risk factors for the distribution of the diseases. Surveillance programs and active screening for brucellosis are essential to prevent, control, and to reduce the incidence of the brucellosis.