Brucellosis seroprevalance and risk factors in the population older than fifteen years in Hatay, Turkey

Abstract

Objective: Brucellosis is a common infectious disease in Turkey. The aim of this study is to explore seroprevalence of Brucellosis and the risk factors associated with it in Hatay. Material and Methods: In this community-based cross-sectional study, the study sample consisted of a total of 1150 people older than 15 years of age. During March-May 2008, a questionnaire which included variables about socio-demographic characteristics, profession, occupation with farm animals, milk and milk product consumption was applied. Blood samples were taken, and evaluated with the standard tube agglutination test. Titers greater than 1:160 were considered positive. Chi-Square test and logistic regression were performed to analyze relations between socio-demographic variables and seropositivity. Results: Data of 1120 subjects were completed and analyzed in the study. Of them, 56.8% were males, and %43.2 were females. The mean age and standard deviation of the subjects was 16.8 ± 44.01. The seropositivity for Brucella was 2.9% (1.96-3.94) in the study population. In univariate analysis, the highest seropositivity was in farmers while the lowest was in officers (p< 0.05). The seropositivity was higher in those who consume raw milk cheese and fresh cream, positive family history, or had close contact with animals (p< 0.01). In multiple analyses, the relations disappeared regarding to close contact with animals and occupation while the other relations remained.The differences by gender, age, rural-urban and education level were not significant (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Brucellosis is an important health problem in Hatay. Consumption of fresh cheese, butter, skim-milk cheese, raw milk and cream are the most frequent route of transmission of Brucellosis in our population. © 2010 by Türkiye Klinikleri.