Brucellosis 2003 proceedings - PHIDIAS

Poster Session
6- SEROLOGICAL INCIDENCE OF Brucella. ANTIBODY IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS
AND MAN IN IRAN.
Tadjbakhsh, H. Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tehran
University, P.O.Box: 14155-6453, Tehran, Iran.
Brucellosis is one of the most important zoonosis in Iran. To find out the
incidence of this disease we have done following study.
The occurrence of Brucella – antibody among 3647 sera of the different
species of domestic animals and man has been studied in Iran. The percentage of
infected animals are as fallow: sheep 4.24 p. 100 (female 4.3 p. 100 – male 2.6 p.
100), goats 2.18 p. 100, cattle 12 p .100 (calves 8.2 p. 100- male 4.7 p. 100- female
16.1 p. 100), horses 0.73 p. 100, swine 17.6 p.10, dogs 4.78 p. 100, buffaloes 5.5 p.
100, man 5.5 p. 100 (male 5. p. 100, fem. 6.8 p. 100). The results of two S.A.T.
(Seroagglutination test ) and C.F.T. (Complement fixation test) has been compared:
- 79.5 p. 100 of sera positive by S.A.T were also positive by C.F.T.
- 29.3 p. 100 of suspicious sera by S.A.T. were positive by C.F.T
- 9.9 p. 100 of negative sera by S.A.T. were positive by C.F.T.
Because of distribution of the disease in the different species of animals strict
control procedures are essential.
7- IMPLEMENTATION OF A VACCINATION PROGRAMME AGAINST ANIMAL
BRUCELLOSIS AND THE EFFECT ON THE INCIDENCE OF HUMAN
BRUCELLOSIS IN WESTERN GREECE.
Ch. Bikas 1 , Ch. Petropoulos 2 and E. Jelastopulu 3 . (1) Department of Internal Medicine, University
Hospital of Patras, Greece. (2) Health Centre Erymanthia, Greece. (3) Laboratory of Public Health,
Medical School, University of Patras, Greece.
Brucellosis still remains a major problem in the Mediterranean region,
particularly in the agricultural and pastoral populations where the livestock-farming is
the main source of income. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence
rate of brucellosis in a rural area of Greece before and after the implementation of a
brucellosis control programme and to examine, if there is an effect on the incidence
of human brucellosis.
The study was conducted in the Municipality of Tritaia in the Prefecture of
Achaia in Western Greece and comprised all newly diagnosed human brucellosis
cases between January 1997 and May 2003. In the time period from January 1999 till
August 2002 a vaccination programme against animal brucellosis was realised by the
Veterinary Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and included the gradually
vaccination of all not pregnant female sheep aged over 3 months in the specific
region. Descriptive methods were used to calculate age and gender specific
incidence rates based on the census of 1991 and 2001 of the National Statistical
Service of Greece (NSSG) before and after the implementation of the vaccination
programme. The study revealed a statistically significant fall in the incidence of
human brucellosis after the vaccination programme. In a 27-months period (1/1997-
3/1999) there was a total of 140 cases, while only 30 cases were diagnosed in a 41-
months period (1/2000-5/2003) in the same region. The study underlines the
importance of control programmes of animal brucellosis in the prevention of human
brucellosis.
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Brucellosis 2003 International Research Conference