Brucellosis - regionally emerging zoonotic disease?

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Brucellosis is a significant zoonotic disease with global public health implications.
• Understanding its seroprevalence is crucial for effective control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing brucellosis seroprevalence studies in regions bordering the European Union.
• To identify knowledge gaps in current brucellosis surveillance.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of 37 seroprevalence studies on brucellosis published between 1948 and 2009.
• Studies were sourced from PubMed, Google, and ScienceDirect, focusing on countries near the EU and their trading partners.

Main Results:

• Included studies spanned Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.
• Data covered 116,317 animals (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels), revealing wide variations in brucellosis prevalence.
• A significant lack of recent, representative surveillance data was noted across all reviewed countries.

Conclusions:

• Factors like regional conflicts, inadequate prevention, and uncontrolled animal movement heighten brucellosis transmission risk.
• There is an urgent need for new seroprevalence data to assess the current situation and inform control programs.