[Investigation of Brucella canis Seroprevalence in Brucellosis Suspected Cases]

Brucella canis which is the main etiologic agent of brucellosis in dogs, can be transmitted to man. It causes mild or asymptomatic infection in human compared with other Brucella species. B.canis can be transmitted to man either by laboratory accidents or contact with infected dogs. Since B.canis infections in humans are not routinely investigated in hospitals in Turkey, the data are limited to reveal the current status of B.canis infections in people in our country. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of B.canis infection in brucellosis-suspected cases. The study was conducted at Konya Education and Research Hospital, (located at Central Anatolia of Turkey) during March-August 2010 period. Serum samples were obtained from 1000 patients (age range: 15-65 years; 652 of them were women) presented with brucellosis-like symptoms, including fever, headache, night sweats, appetite loss, weakness, arthralgia and myalgia. Rose Bengal Plate Tests (Seromed, Turkey) for smooth Brucella species were negative in all serum samples. Rough type B.canis antigen was prepared with B.canis NCTC 10854 strain for serodiagnosis. Antibody responses to B.canis in the serum samples were investigated by rapid slide agglutination test (SAT) and modified plate agglutination test (MPAT). Of the 1000 sera tested, 34 (0.34%) were found to be positive with SAT while the remaining were found negative. MPAT was used for the detection of antibody titer and 22 (0.22%) out of 1000 sera were found positive with MPAT (one had 1/48, five had 1/96, six had 1/192, six had 1/384, four had 1/768 titers). Among 22 positive patients, 17 were female and five were male, and the difference between the genders was found statistically significant (p< 0.05). It was concluded the use of both S and R antigens in the serological tests applied for the diagnosis of brucellosis in our country will supplement both diagnosis and seroepidemiological data related to brucellosis.