Search Advanced

AIMS Microbiology

2024, Volume 10, Issue 1: 1-11. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2024001
Previous Article Next Article
Research article

Seroprevalence of brucellosis among animal handlers in West Bengal, India: an occupational health study

  • 1.
    Department of Microbiology, School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata 700073, India
  • 2.
    Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome 00185, Italy
  • 3.
    Centre for One Health, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Delhi 110054, India
  • These two authors contributed equally to this work.
  • Received: 18 September 2023 Revised: 11 December 2023 Accepted: 20 December 2023 Published: 02 January 2024

  • Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease and a major human health problem worldwide. Due to its ways of transmission, direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their contaminated biological products, the disease exhibits strong occupational association with animal handlers comprising a significant population at risk. This study was undertaken to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in animal handlers and to understand the epidemiological and serological aspects of the same. The animal handlers from the state of West Bengal, India were included in this study. It was a prospective and observational cohort study from November 2021 to March 2022. A total of 669 sera samples were collected from animal handlers and tested using various serological tests for Brucella antibodies. All serum samples were tested using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), standard tube agglutination test (STAT), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 106 (15.8%) patients were diagnosed with brucellosis among the total number of patients tested. Most of the patients affected with brucellosis belonged to the age group 51–60 years (23.5%). The seropositivity rate in male animal handlers was higher than female animal handlers in this study. More studies are needed to understand the occupational association of this disease. Awareness programs, safe livestock practices, and prevention of the disease by timely diagnosis must be implemented in order to control human brucellosis.

    Citation: Dolanchampa Modak, Silpak Biswas, Agnibho Mondal, Malabika Biswas, Maria Teresa Mascellino, Banya Chakraborty, Simmi Tiwari, Ajit Dadaji Shewale, Tushar Nale, Rupali Dey. Seroprevalence of brucellosis among animal handlers in West Bengal, India: an occupational health study[J]. AIMS Microbiology, 2024, 10(1): 1-11. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2024001

    Related Papers:

  • Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonotic disease and a major human health problem worldwide. Due to its ways of transmission, direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their contaminated biological products, the disease exhibits strong occupational association with animal handlers comprising a significant population at risk. This study was undertaken to estimate the seroprevalence of brucellosis in animal handlers and to understand the epidemiological and serological aspects of the same. The animal handlers from the state of West Bengal, India were included in this study. It was a prospective and observational cohort study from November 2021 to March 2022. A total of 669 sera samples were collected from animal handlers and tested using various serological tests for Brucella antibodies. All serum samples were tested using the Rose Bengal plate test (RBPT), standard tube agglutination test (STAT), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 106 (15.8%) patients were diagnosed with brucellosis among the total number of patients tested. Most of the patients affected with brucellosis belonged to the age group 51–60 years (23.5%). The seropositivity rate in male animal handlers was higher than female animal handlers in this study. More studies are needed to understand the occupational association of this disease. Awareness programs, safe livestock practices, and prevention of the disease by timely diagnosis must be implemented in order to control human brucellosis.


    加载中

    Acknowledgments


    Authors thank the technical assistance of Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics (ICAR-NIVEDI), Bengaluru, India.

    Conflicts of interest


    Maria Teresa Mascellino is an editorial board member for AIMS Microbiology and was not involved in the editorial review or the decision to publish this article. All authors declare that there are no competing interests.

    Author contributions


    Dolanchampa Modak, Silpak Biswas, Malabika Biswas: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation and Writing Original Draft, Data curation, Formal Analysis, Writing Review and Editing; Agnibho Mondal: Data curation and Formal Analysis; Maria Teresa Mascellino: Validation, Writing Review and Editing; Banya Chakraborty, Simmi Tiwari, Ajit Dadaji Shewale, Tushar Nale, Rupali Dey: Conceptualization, Supervision, Project Administration, Validation, Writing Review and Editing.

    [1] Laine CG, Johnson VE, Scott HM, et al. (2023) Global estimate of human brucellosis incidence. Emerg Infect Dis 29: 1789-1797. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2909.230052
    [2] Khuranaa SK, Sehrawata A, Tiwarib R, et al. (2021) Bovine brucellosis–a comprehensive review. Vet Q 41: 61-88. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2020.1868616
    [3] Sharma V, Sharma R, Aulakh RS, et al. (2023) Prevalence of Brucella species in stray cattle, dogs and cats: A systematic review. Prev Vet Med 219: 106017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.106017
    [4] El-Sayed A, Awad W (2018) Brucellosis: Evolution and expected comeback. Int J Vet Sci Med 6: 31-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijvsm.2018.01.008
    [5] Acka PG, Zakowska D, Naylor K, et al. (2018) Brucella-virulence factors, pathogenesis and treatment. Pol J Microbiol 67: 151-61. https://doi.org/10.21307/pjm-2018-029
    [6] Dadar M, Shahali Y, Whatmore AM (2019) Human brucellosis caused by raw dairy products: A review on the occurrence, major risk factors and prevention. Int J Food Microbiol 292: 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.12.009
    [7] Hayoun MA, Muco E, Shorman M (2023) Brucellosis. StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing.
    [8] Dean AS, Crump L, Greter H, et al. (2012) Clinical manifestations of human brucellosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Negl. Trop Dis 6: e1929. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0001929
    [9] Deka P, Magnusson U, Grace D, et al. (2018) Bovine brucellosis: prevalence, risk factors, economic cost and controloptions with particular reference to India-a review. Infect Ecol Epidemiol 9: 1556548. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008686.2018.1556548
    [10] Jamil T, Akar K, Erdenlig S, et al. (2022) Spatio-temporal distribution of brucellosis in european terrestrial and marine wildlife species and its regional implications. Microorganisms 10: 1970. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10101970
    [11] Pandit DP, Pandit PT (2013) Human Brucellosis: Are we neglecting an enemy at the backyard?. Med J DY Patil Univ 350: 8. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-2870.118265
    [12] Shukla J, Husain A, Nayak A, et al. (2020) Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of human brucellosis from a tertiary care hospital setting in Central India. J Zoo Dis 4: 9-20. https://doi: 10.22034/jzd.2020.11600
    [13] Dutta D, Sen A, Gupta D, et al. (2018) Childhood Brucellosis in Eastern India. Indian J Pediatr 85: 266-271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-017-2513-z
    [14] Mathur TN (1964) Brucella strains isolated from cows, buffaloes, goats, sheep and human beings: Their significance with regard to the epidemiology of brucellosis. Indian J Med Res 52: 1231-40.
    [15] Panjarathinam R, Jhala CI (1986) Brucellosis in Gujarat State. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 29: 53-60.
    [16] Kadri SM, Ruksana A, Laharwal MA, et al. (2000) Seroprevalence of brucellosis in Kashmir (India) among patients with pyrexia of unknown origin. J Indian Med Assoc 98: 170-1.
    [17] Sen MR, Shukla BN, Goyal RK (2002) Seroprevalence of brucellosis in and around Varanasi. J Commun Dis 34: 226-227.
    [18] Mrunalini N, Reddy MS, Ramasastry P, et al. (2004) Seroepidemiology of human brucellosis in Andhra Pradesh. Indian Vet J 81: 744-747.
    [19] Aher AS, Londhe SP, Bannalikar AS, et al. (2011) Detection of brucellosis in occupationally exposed humans by molecular and serological techniques. Indian J Comp Microbiol Immunol Infect Dis 32: 36-40.
    [20] Yohannes M, Gill JP (2011) Seroepidemiological survey of human brucellosis in and around Ludhiana, India. Emerg Health Threats J 28: 7361. https://doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v4i0.7361
    [21] Mantur BG, Amarnath SK, Shinde RS (2007) Review of clinical and laboratory features of human Brucellosis. Indian J Med Microbiol 25: 188-202. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0255-0857(21)02105-8
    [22] Dadar M, Tabibi R, Alamian S, et al. (2022) Safety concerns and potential hazards of occupational brucellosis in developing countries: a review. J Public Health 31: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-022-01732-0
    [23] Tiwari HK, Proch V, Singh BB, et al. (2021) Brucellosis in India: Comparing exposure amongst veterinarians, para-veterinarians and animal handlers. One Health 14: 100367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100367
    [24] Proch V, Singh BB, Schemann K, et al. (2018) Risk factors for occupational Brucella infection in veterinary personnel in India. Trans bound Emerg Dis 00: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12804
    [25] OIE Terrestrial Manual 2016Brucellosis Chapter 2.1.5. Version adopted by the World Assembly of Delegates of the OIE in May 2016 (2016).
    [26] (2006) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Organisation for Animal Health, and World Health OrganizationBrucellosis in humans and animals. WHO/CDS/EPR/2006.7. Geneva: World Health Organization. Available from: http://www.who.int/entity/csr/resources/publications/brucellosis.pdf.
    [27] Yagupsky P, Morata P, Colmenero JD (2019) Laboratory diagnosis of human brucellosis. Clin Microbiol Rev 33: e00073-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.00073-19
    [28] Al Dahouk S, Nockler K (2011) Implications of laboratory diagnosis on brucellosis therapy. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 9: 833-845. https://doi.org/10.1586/eri.11.55
    [29] Shome R, Kalleshamurthy T, Shankaranarayana PB, et al. (2017) Prevalence and risk factors of brucellosis among veterinary health care professionals. Pathog Glob Health 111: 234-239. https://doi.org/10.1080/20477724.2017.1345366
    [30] Ashford DA, di Pietra J, Lingappa J, et al. (2004) Adverse events in humans associated with accidental exposure to the livestock brucellosis vaccine RB51. Vaccine 22: 3435-3439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2004.02.041
    [31] Smits HL, Kadri SM (2000) Brucellosis in India: a deceptive infectious disease. Indian J Med Res 122: 375-384.
    [32] Nations UnitedWorld population prospects—population division—United Nations (2019). Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/DataQuery/
    [33] Pathak AD, Dubal ZB, Doijad S, et al. (2014) Human brucellosis among pyrexia of unknown origin cases and occupationally exposed individuals in Goa Region, India. Emerg Health Threats J 7: 238-246. https://doi.org/10.3402/ehtj.v7.23846
    [34] Mangtani P, Berry I, Beauvais W, et al. (2020) The prevalence and risk factors for human Brucella species infection in a cross-sectional survey of a rural population in Punjab, India. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 114: 255-263. https://doi.org/10.1093/trstmh/trz133
    [35] Rahman MM, Islam SMS, Rahman MS, et al. (2022) Brucellosis knowledge, awareness and practices among military dairy farm workers in Bangladesh. J. Vet. Med. OH Res 4: 21-32. https://doi.org/10.36111/jvmohr.2022.4(1).0032.1
    [36] Pereira CR, de Oliveira IRC, de Oliveira LF, et al. (2021) Accidental exposure to Brucella abortus vaccines and occupational brucellosis among veterinarians in Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Transbound Emerg Dis 68: 1363-1376. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13797
    [37] Mantur BG, Biradar MS, Bidri RC, et al. (2006) Protean clinical manifestations and diagnostic challenges of human brucellosis in adults: 16 years' experience in an endemic area. J Med Microbiol 55: 897-903. https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.46097-0
    [38] Mantur B, Amarnath S (2008) Brucellosis in India–A review. J Biosci 33: 539-547. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12038-008-0072-1
    [39] Agasthya AS, Isloor S, Prabhudas K (2007) Brucellosis in high risk group individuals. Indian J Med Microbiol 25: 28-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0255-0857(21)02230-1
    [40] Prakash P, Bhansali S, Gupta E, et al. (2012) Epidemiology of brucellosis in high risk group & PUO patients of Western-Rajasthan. Nat J Community Med 3: 61-65.
    [41] Kochar DK, Gupta BK, Gupta A, et al. (2007) Hospital-based case series of 175 cases of serologically confirmed brucellosis in Bikaner. J Assoc Phys India 55: 271-275.
    [42] Kutlu M, Ergonul O, Sayin-Kutlu S, et al. (2014) Risk factors for occupational brucellosis among veterinary personnel in Turkey. Pre Vet Med 117: 52-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2014.07.010
    [43] Zhai J, Peng R, Wang Y, et al. (2021) Factors associated with diagnostic delays in human brucellosis in Tongliao City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Front Public Health 9: 648054. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.648054
    [44] Sathyanarayan MS, Suresh DR, Suresh BS, et al. (2011) A comparative study of agglutination tests, blood culture & ELISA in the laboratory diagnosis of human brucellosis. Int J Biol Med Res 2: 569-572.
    [45] Blasco JM, Diaz R (1993) Brucella melitensis Rev-1 vaccine as a cause of human brucellosis. Lancet 342: 805. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(93)91571-3
  • Reader Comments
  • © 2024 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
通讯作者: 陈斌, bchen63@163.com
  • 1. 

    沈阳化工大学材料科学与工程学院 沈阳 110142

  1. 本站搜索
  2. 百度学术搜索
  3. 万方数据库搜索
  4. CNKI搜索
AIMS Microbiology
2.7 7.0

Metrics

Article views(1836) PDF downloads(328) Cited by(1)

Preview PDF
Download XML
Export Citation
Article outline

Figures and Tables

Tables(4)

Other Articles By Authors

Related pages

Tools

/

DownLoad:  Full-Size Img  PowerPoint
Return
Return

Catalog