Retrospective evalution of pediatric brucella patients followed and family screening with household members for brucella infection

Abstract

Objective: In this study we aimed to analyse demographic and clinic properties, laboratory findings and efficiency of medical therapy of pediatric patients with Brucellosis followed at Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Infection Diseases out patient and in patient clinic, and screening the households members of acute patients for occuring Brucella Infection. Material and Methods: The files of 65 children with brucellosis were retrospectively reviewed for six years. Brucella scans, demographic and clinical characteristics of all patients included in the study and those with family screening were recorded. Tube agglutination test for brucella was studied in the sera of all patients and close family members. Serum tube aglutination test of all patients and household members were analysed at Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine Central Laboratory. The sta-tistical analysis were made at Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biostatistic. Results: Thirty-eight of 65 patients (58.5%) were male and 27 of 65 patients (41.5%) were female. Patients’ age range was 9-198 months and mean age was 104 months. Elapsed time until brucella diagnosis was range between 3-150 days. The most common symptom was fever that observed in 81.5% patients. The most common physical examination finding was hepato-splenomegaly that observed in 20% patients. There was statistically significant decrease between seropositivity of brucella, ESH and CRP values before and after the treatment (p< 0.001). Success rate of triple antibiot-ics treatment regimen during six weeks was 96.8%. Seropositivity rate was found 18.2% in the household members of acute patients. Conclusion: In our region, evaluating family history for brucella, raw milk and/or dairy products consumption in patients admitting to hospital with fever, arthralgia, hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia or bicytopenia has an important value for early diagnosis. Clinical and serological examination of close family members of patients with brucellosis may allow early diagnosis and treatment of possible close contact cases. Doing this study in a large segment of the population at risk in endemic countries for brucella like our country is critically important to provide early diagnosis and allow for early treatment.