ABSTRACT
We evaluated Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) surveillance data from southern Kazakhstan during 2009-2010 and found both spatial and temporal association between reported tick bites and CCHF cases. Public health measures should center on preventing tick bites, increasing awareness of CCHF signs and symptoms, and adopting hospital infection control practices.
Subject(s)
Endemic Diseases , Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/epidemiology , Insect Bites and Stings/epidemiology , Ticks , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Disease Vectors , Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo , Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/etiology , Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean/transmission , Humans , Incidence , Infant , Insect Bites and Stings/complications , Kazakhstan/epidemiology , Middle Aged , Population Surveillance , Young AdultABSTRACT
Serum samples from all patients with culture-confirmed brucellosis including those with chronic disease from Kazakhstan tested positive in the serum agglutination test for titers > or = 1:25 and reacted in the Brucella immunoglobulin M/immunoglobulin G lateral flow assay (LFA) confirming the high sensitivity of these assays. The strong reactivity in the LFA observed for the majority (92.1%) of the samples from the patients with culture-confirmed brucellosis together with the user-friendliness of the assay procedure makes the LFA ideal for the confirmation of brucellosis in endemic areas in Kazakhstan. The Rose Bengal test lacked sensitivity in particular for patients with chronic brucellosis therefore limiting its value as a quick screening assay. The study emphasizes the importance of the LFA as a useful, rapid, and easy-to-perform tool in the diagnostic testing of brucellosis.
