Seroprevalence of human brucellosis in Morocco and associated risk factors

Vet World Vol.15 September-2022 Article-14

Research Article

Veterinary World, 15(9): 2224-2233

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2022.2224-2233

Kaoutar Faddane^1,2, Houda Moumni³, Imad Cherkaoui³, Mohammed Lakranbi³, Salsabil Hamdi⁴, Sayeh Ezzikouri⁵, Rachid Saile², and Mohamed El Azhari¹

1. Laboratory of Bacteriology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
2. Laboratory of Biology and Health URAC34-Metabolic and Immunologic Pathology Research Team, Faculty of Science, Ben M'sik, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco.
3. Directorate of Epidemiology and Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Rabat, Morocco.
4. Environmental Health Laboratory, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
5. Laboratory of Virology, Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.

Background and Aim: Brucellosis is a prevalent infectious zoonotic disease that affects humans, livestock, and wildlife in many parts of the world. A cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate the seroprevalence and risk factors of brucellosis among farmers and patients attending six health centers in Sidi Kacem province (northwestern Morocco).

Materials and Methods: Blood samples (3-5 mL) were collected. Among 1283 participants, 351 were males and 932 were females and tested for Brucella antibodies using rose Bengal plate test and immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for confirmation.

Results: The seroprevalence of brucellosis was 33.20% (426/1283) with a higher risk among males and rural residents. The univariable analysis revealed that contacting cattle, handling abortion products and manure, and consuming undercooked beef and goat meat were all risk factors for brucellosis. Furthermore, raw milk and milk derivatives were risk factors strongly linked to brucellosis.

Conclusion: Our findings indicate a high prevalence of brucellosis associated with the consumption of raw meat, raw dairy products, milk, and close contact with infected animals. However, there are some limitations to this study, such as we did not use the ELISA test on all sera collected and individuals under the age of 18 were not included in the study. Moreover, building a database on the occurrence of brucellosis and associated epidemiological factors is critical for providing informed advice to policymakers to improve control strategies against this disease in Morocco. Keywords: human brucellosis, risk factors, seroprevalence, Sidi Kacem (Morocco).

Keywords: human brucellosis, risk factors, seroprevalence, Sidi Kacem (Morocco).

How to cite this article: Faddane K, Moumni H, Cherkaoui I, Lekranbi M, Hamdi S, Ezzikouri S, Saile R, and El Azhari M (2022) Seroprevalence of human Brucellosis in Morocco and associated risk factors, Veterinary World, 15(9): 2224–2233.

Received: 29-04-2022 Accepted: 29-07-2022 Published online: 17-09-2022

Corresponding author: Mohamed El Azhari E-mail: mohamed.elazhari@pasteur.ma

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.2224-2233

Copyright: Faddane, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.