Seroprevalance of Brucella abortus in humans in Izmir Menemen and comparison of diagnostic tests; an experience between July 2012 and March 2022

Abstract

Brucellosis is still an important public health problem worldwide. This study was aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in our region, Menemen, I(center dot)zmir, a western Turkish province, retrospectively to determine whether variables such as sex, age and seasonal differences play a role in its seroprevalence, and to compare the performances of different serological tests used in diagnosis. Results of 5871 patient serums were included retrospectively in the study. Rose Bengal Test (RBT), Standard Tube Agglutination Test (Wright) (STAT) and Brucellacapt (BCAPT) tests were used. Analysis of the data was conducted in SPSS 25.0. While RBT was positive in 152 (2.8 %) of 5391 samples, STAT was positive in 247 (21.6 %) of the 1142 samples, and BCAPT was positive in 302 (21.3 %) of 1417 samples. Since BCAPT was accepted as the reference method, the sensitivity and specificity for the RBT were 36 % and 99 %, respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity for the STAT were 82 % and 98 %, respectively. The positivity was statistically significant in all tests. Highest intensity was in the 41-55 age group, followed by the >55 and 26-40 age groups, respectively. The positivity was statistically significantly higher in male patients than it was in female patients in all tests. When the distribution of the test positivity by months was examined, it was found to be statistically significantly higher in months between May and October. (Chi-Square X2<0.05). In conclusion, brucellosis is still an endemic problem in western Turkey. Thus, it would be appropriate to administer BCAPT and STAT primarily in the diagnosis of brucellosis.