Prevalence of human brucellosis in district Dera Ismail khan

Abstract

Human Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease, also called undulant fever or Malta fever. Brucellosis is caused by bacteria of the Genus Brucella, which is a neglected disease. Humans always remain an accidental host and get infected from both wild animals as well as those that are kept at home. The status of brucellosis is unknown in various parts of the country; therefore, this study aims to find the prevalence and risk factors of human brucellosis in the population of District Dera Ismail Khan. In this study, a total of 270 samples were collected over two months (May and June 2022) from the population occupationally exposed to animals in District Dera Ismail Khan and screened through ELISA and SPAT. The gender-wise high prevalence was found in females at 27.52% and 24.83% by ELISA and SPAT, respectively. The age-wise high prevalence rate was reported as 50.00% and 47.73% by ELISA and SPAT in age groups above forty. The prevalence rate was found high as 27.52% and 24.83% in housewives by ELISA and SPAT. The current study proved that the prevalence rate was found high in the population aged above 40 and in housewives who keep animals domestically than in other occupationally exposed populations.