Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025
Diagnosis and Surgical Treatment of Human Brucellar Spondylodiscitis
Published on: May 23, 2021
Socioeconomic, meteorological factors and spatiotemporal distribution of human brucellosis in China between 2004 and
Zi-Xin Sun1,2, Yan Wang1,2, Ying-Jie Li1,2
1Key Laboratory of Environmental Stress and Chronic Disease Control & Prevention (China Medical University), Ministry of Education, Shenyang, China.
Insights
Human brucellosis in China shows clear seasonal patterns and spatial clustering, particularly in northern regions like Inner Mongolia. Livestock, climate, and seasonal variations significantly influence its incidence, necessitating targeted public health strategies.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
- Spatial Analysis
Background:
- Human brucellosis poses a significant public health threat in China.
- The study investigates the spatiotemporal distribution and influencing factors of human brucellosis from 2004 to 2019.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the spatiotemporal patterns of human brucellosis in China.
- To identify socioeconomic, meteorological, and seasonal factors affecting brucellosis incidence.
- To provide a scientific basis for brucellosis prevention and control strategies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized monthly reported brucellosis data from 2004-2019.
- Incorporated socioeconomic (livestock inventory, yields, pastoral product) and meteorological (temperature, humidity) data.
- Employed spatial autocorrelation, hotspot analysis, and spatial panel models to analyze data from 31 provincial-level administrative units.
Main Results:
- 569,016 human brucellosis cases reported between 2004-2019.
- Peak incidence observed in May, with cases concentrated from March to July.
- High incidence areas identified in northern China, notably Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang.
- Livestock, climate variables, and seasonality were significantly associated with brucellosis incidence.
Conclusions:
- Human brucellosis in China exhibits expanding epidemic areas and spatial clustering.
- Inner Mongolia and surrounding regions are identified as high-risk zones.
- Socioeconomic, meteorological, and seasonal factors are crucial in brucellosis progression, informing 'One Health' strategies.
Background:
Human brucellosis continues to be a great threat to human health in China. The present study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of human brucellosis in China from 2004 to 2019, to analyze the socioeconomic factors, meteorological factors and seasonal effect affecting human brucellosis incidence in different geographical regions with the help of spatial panel model, and to provide a scientific basis for local health authorities to improve the prevention of human brucellosis.
Methods:
The monthly reported number and incidence of human brucellosis in China from January 2004 to December 2019 were obtained from the Data Center for China Public Health Science. Monthly average air temperature and monthly average relative humidity of 31 provincial-level administrative units (22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions and 4 municipalities directly under the central government) in China from October 2003 to December 2019 were obtained from the National Meteorological Science Data Centre. The inventory of cattle, the inventory of sheep, beef yield, mutton yield, wool yield, milk yield and gross pastoral product of 31 provincial-level administrative units in China from 2004 to 2019 were obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. The temporal and geographical distribution of human brucellosis was displayed with Microsoft Excel and ArcMap software. The spatial autocorrelation and hotspot analysis was used to describe the association among different areas. Spatial panel model was constructed to explore the combined effects on the incidence of human brucellosis in China.
Results:
A total of 569,016 cases of human brucellosis were reported in the 31 provincial-level administrative units in China from January 2004 to December 2019. Human brucellosis cases were concentrated between March and July, with a peak in May, showing a clear seasonal increase. The incidence of human brucellosis in China from 2004 to 2019 showed significant spatial correlations, and hotspot analysis indicated that the high incidence of human brucellosis was mainly in the northern China, particularly in Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Heilongjiang. The results from spatial panel model suggested that the inventory of cattle, the inventory of sheep, beef yield, mutton yield, wool yield, milk yield, gross pastoral product, average air temperature (the same month, 2-month lagged and 3-month lagged), average relative humidity (the same month) and season variability were significantly associated with human brucellosis incidence in China.
Conclusions:
The epidemic area of human brucellosis in China has been expanding and the spatial clustering has been observed. Inner Mongolia and adjacent provinces or autonomous regions are the high-risk areas of human brucellosis. The inventory of cattle and sheep, beef yield, mutton yield, wool yield, milk yield, gross pastoral product, average air temperature, average relative humidity and season variability played a significant role in the progression of human brucellosis. The present study strengthens the understanding of the relationship between socioeconomic, meteorological factors and the spatial heterogeneity of human brucellosis in China, through which 'One Health'-based strategies and countermeasures can be provided for the government to tackle the brucellosis menace.
