Brucellosis 2003 proceedings - PHIDIAS

Poster Session
sera were positive with four giving a 2+ reaction and six were negative. Six sera from
treated patients were negative and eight were weakly positive or 1+. Our IgM findings
were consistent with our previously tested dipstick results. IgG was detected in some
samples and showed declines with treatment. Although, we noted the declines in
IgG, the test may be more useful for chronic brucellosis. One case with apparent
treatment failure case, became IgG negative from an initial 1+ value. We concluded
that the value of the test over previous methods was its 15-minute reaction time,
simplicity and potential for use in remote areas.
35- DIAGNOSTICS OF HUMAN BRUCELLOSIS CAUSED BY Brucella melitensis.
T. Grushina 1 , L. Tabatabai 2 , L. Tserelson 3 , M. Syzdykov 3 , M. Rementsova 3 , S. Daulbayeva 3 , B.
Beketov 1 , K. Ospanov 4 , A. Kouznetsov 3 , S. Amireyev 3 . (1) M. Aikimbayev's Kazakh Scientific Center
for Quarantine and Zoonotic Diseases, Kazakhstan. (2) National Animal Disease Center, Ames, Iowa,
USA. (3) Hygiene and Epidemiology Research Center, (4) Kazakh Republican Sanitary - epidemiology
station, Kazakhstan.
About 2,200 new cases of human brucellosis are recorded annually in
Kazakhstan; the morbidity rate has a growing trend and is in the range from 14.8
(average for the country) to 178 per 100,000 people in some districts. Clinical,
epidemiological and laboratory studies were undertaken covering 210 patients who
were residents of two rural districts with the morbidity rate 3 times higher than the
average for the country. We identified 114 patients (54.2%) having various clinical
forms, such as latent brucellosis – 30 cases (26. 3%), acute brucellosis -13 (11.4%),
chronic brucellosis -62 (54.3%), and residual effects – 9 (7.9%). Latent and chronic
forms were prevailing. Brucella melitensis, biovar 1 (2 cases) and biovar 2 (4 cases)
were isolated from the blood samples of 6 patients having acute (2), chronic (2) and
latent (2) brucellosis. In 3 of the 6 cases, we identified sero-negative patients with
chronic (1) and latent (2) brucellosis. In 3 patients with spondylitis, osteoarthritis
Brucella were isolated 5, 8, and 9 months after the disease had begun. It was noted
that 4 patients with Brucella melitensis ran a conventional livestock farming in
Kazakhstan, with cows and sheep kept together. It suggests that B. melitensis
pathogen could migrate onto cattle. The studies showed that human brucellosis
remains a serious threat to the health of people living in rural districts. Brucellosis is
difficult to diagnose, if possible at all, when using the routine techniques.
36- DETECTION OF Brucella melitensis BY VITAL SYSTEM.
St. Fokas, Sp. Fokas, M. Kalkani, M. Tsironi, S. Koutsoumpou, M. Dionysopoulou. Clinical
Microbiology Department, General Hospital of Sparta, Lakonia, Greece.
This study was conducted to evaluate Vital automated blood culture system
performance in terms of time-to-detection (TTD) of bacteremia due to B. melitensis
as well as to determine the need for blind subcultures after the incubation period. We
studied retrospectively 31 separate cases of bacteremia caused by B. melitensis over
a 2-years period (2001-2002) using the Vital system for the routine diagnosis of
bacteremia. Two blood cultures (four aerobic bottles) were processed per patient and
ten millilitres of blood were inoculated in each bottle. The Vital bottles were monitored
for 11 days and then were transferred to a regular incubator for 10 additional days of
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Brucellosis 2003 International Research Conference