Risk factors for human brucellosis in Mianeh, Iran

Brucellosis is the most prevalent zoonotic disease in the world, particularly in developing countries. Despite the high prevalence rate of brucellosis in Iran, little information is available regarding the transmission route of the disease. The objective of the present survey was to identify the major risk factors for brucellosis in Northwest of Iran and consequently, to make preventive and therapeutic recommendations for the population. A retrospective study was conducted and all participants were tested by standard tube agglutination test and culture method in districts of Mianeh, Kandovan, Kaghaz kanan and Torkamanchay. The data was obtained from 442 patients using a questionnaire. The majority (48.41%) of the patients aged 10-29 years old of which 63.80% were male. The highest number of cases was reported in 2012 (124 patients, 28.5%). The number of reported cases were significantly declined from 2012 to 2016 (P=0.02, r=-0.92). Consumption of raw milk and raw milk-derived cheese (61.76%) as well as having a family member infected with brucellosis (61.53%) were the main risk factors for the disease. In the present study, the most important risk factors were occupation, food consumption and having easy access to unpasteurized milk. These findings indicated that there is still insufficient knowledge about the disease, particularly in urban areas of the country.