Zoonotic brucellosis: an underestimated or misdiagnosed disease in Egypt

ABSTRACT

Over six months, 329 suggestive consecutive brucellosis human cases were diagnosed in attending the out-patients clinics of Al Azhar and Ain Shams Universities Hospitals and Giza Governorate Farmers. They were 100 females and 229 males with ages ranged between 15-65 years old. A total of 213 [64.75%] were working in dairy farm and/or consumed raw milk, 16 [14.85%] used home slaughtering of sheep, and 100 [30.4%] were working in Giza Government slaughter-house. Clinically and by ELISA-IgM 259 out of 329 the subjects were proven brucellosis patients [77.8%]. Besides, other patients had toxoplasmosis, or Schistosomiasis mansoni or fascioliasis. Double infection was encountered with toxoplasmosis and either schistosomiasis or fascioliasis. The causes of endemic liver parasitosis that may give false-clinical diagnosis were excluded. Signs and symptoms of brucellosis patients were fever [91.5%], chills [84.1%], Myalgia [69.5%], headache [58.2%], fatigue [77.2%], anorexia [54.1%], tachycardia [38.6%], hepato-and/or splenomegaly [46.2%], lymphadenopaqthy [19.6%] lower back abdominal pain [8.8%] and/or constitutive symptoms [13.1%]