Epidemiology of human brucellosis in India: A systematic review

Brucellosis, a bacterial zoonotic disease, is caused by various species of Brucella , predominantly affecting livestock. In India, human brucellosis is a significant public health concern due to the proximity between humans and animals. Moreover, under-reporting of cases and misdiagnosis of human brucellosis make it difficult to assess the problem and develop effective public health interventions. Therefore, the study's objectives were to estimate the prevalence, geographic spread, and seasonal patterns of human brucellosis in India; identify affected age groups and occupations, and examine risk factors contributing to its spread.

PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases were explored for literature until September 3, 2024. Terms included in the search strategy were 'Human brucellosis' AND 'Prevalence,' 'Risk factors,' 'India.' Manual searches were also conducted on Google Scholar and relevant articles were selected.

Final review included 29 articles. According to the 'Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist,' 4 studies have a low 'risk of bias' and 15 studies have moderate 'risk of bias'. Brucellosis affects individuals across all age groups, from children to older adults, with the highest number of cases occurring in the 20-40 years age group. Men are most affected, and IgG ELISA has the highest seropositive cases in all the studies.

This review highlights that human brucellosis constitutes a major public health issue in India, with higher prevalence in rural areas and among individuals with occupational exposure to livestock or animal products. Males are most affected; however, findings on gender susceptibility remain inconsistent, warranting further investigation.