The Prevalence of Brucellosis in Adults in Northeastern Region of Turkey

Abstract

Background: Brucellosis is prevalent in the Mediterranean basin, the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian peninsula, and in parts of Central Asia, Africa, Central and South America. However it continues to be one of the major health problems in developing countries, including Turkey. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine the incidence of brucellosis, which is previewed to be very common in the northeastern region of Turkey, in order to emphasize the problem. Materials and Methods: Seroprevalence of brucellosis was examined in sera of 2913 patients who referred to Igdir State Hospital between February and December of the year 2010 by Standard Tube Agglutination Test method. Results: Results were statistically evaluated using chi-square trend analysis method. Significantly high level (1/40 dilution) of specific antibodies were detected in 525 (18 %) patient sera (P = 0.111). Conclusions: We hope that Turkey will be one of the brucellosis-free countries in near future with highlights from the current and further studies.