A Case of Human Brucellosis Who had No Contact with Infected Animal: Sero-epidemiology Study on Market, by-product, Stock-raising

ABSTRACT

Brucellosis is a world-wide zoonotic disease. We report the first case of brucellosis in South Korea that is not related to direct contract with intected cattles. The patient had been working in the market of by-product, stock raising for twenty years and complained of 1-month history of fever, chill, and intermittent epistaxis. We confirmed brucellosis by anti-brucella antibody test and PCR. After 6 weeks' treatment with rifampicin and doxycycline, fever and chilling subsided, and, generalized weakness and oral intake improved. We performed seroepidemiology study against workers who were working in the same market as the patient. However, we couldn't find out other cases with seropositivity. We concluded that although the workers of by-product market have a risk of getting brucellosis, the risk is low.