A New Perspective to the Brucellosis from East of Turkey; Does the Infections Really Decrease Over the Years?

Aim: Brucella infection is a zoonotic disease caused by gram-negative bacteria in the structure of coccobacillus. The most frequently isolated species in our region are B. abortus, transmitted from, cows and B. melitensis, transmitted from sheep. The microorganism infects humans by direct contact with animal tissues or blood, and often via unpasteurized animal products. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of brucellosis in our region, its distribution according to years, seasons, age, and sex, and to observe the progress of brucellosis cases by years. Materials and Methods: The Rose Bengal agglutination test was used for screening. The BrucellaCapt test was applied to patients who were positive for Brucella screening test or who had clinically suspected brucellosis. We considered patients with 1/160 and above titers as positive. Results: The total number of samples that came to the laboratory from 2016 to 2019‎ was 20. 330, from which ‎19.595 were Brucella-negative, while 735 were Brucella-positive. The number of Brucella strains grown in the blood culture was determined as 12, and the Public Health laboratory identified all strains as Brucella melitensis. The distribution of patients according to age, sex, season, and branches were examined by the years. Conclusion: In conclusion, the incidence of Brucella cases in our region is a known fact. While it was expected that the cases would tend to decrease in recent years, it has been observed that it has increased slightly due to reasons such as imported livestock, insufficient sanitation conditions, and lack of awareness of the farmers.