BRUCELLOSIS IN IRAN: IDENTIFICATION OF BRUCELLA SPECIES AND BIOVARS ASSOCIATED WITH ANIMAL AND HUMAN INFECTION

Background and Aim:Brucellosis is a costly contagious disease of domestic and wild animals that also infects humans. It is a serious health problem in Iran causing significant economic losses and control approaches to prevent its spread are of overwhelming importance. In Iran, the species and biovars of virulent Brucella species are still underreported due to inadequate diagnostic protocols and insufficient laboratory facilities.Methods:A total of 419 samples from 65 cases/case series were examined bacteriologically and resulting Brucella isolates were further characterized by phenotypic and molecular approaches.Results:All recovered isolates were either B. abortus or B. melitensis – infection in sheep appeared to be exclusively associated with B. melitensis, but both B. abortus and B. melitensis were common in bovine samples. A small number of ovine cases were confirmed to be caused by the B. melitensis vaccine strain Rev1. In spite of the B. abortus burden in animals infection in humans was predominantly associated with B. melitensis. Results confirmed that B. melitensis biovar 1 and B. abortus biovar 3 remain the most prevalent biovars in IranConclusion:These data, and the techniques implemented in the course of the study, begin to build a picture of the significance of different Brucella species in different hosts in Iran currently, knowledge required to ultimately design and implement any future control program.

کلیدواژه ها:

Brucellosis ، Bruce ladder ، AMOS-PCR