Abstract

VERA CABRAL, Edén; SAN MIGUEL, María Cristina; VERA SAN MIGUEL, Lara  and  DOMINGUEZ AGUILERA, Kevin. Epidemiological characteristics and diagnosis of brucellosis in patients of the tropical medicine institute period 2017-2019. An. Fac. Cienc. Méd. (Asunción) [online]. 2020, vol.53, n.1, pp.49-58. ISSN 1816-8949.  https://doi.org/10.18004/anales/2020.053.01.49-058.

Brucellosis is a zoonosis in humans that is closely related to the disease in domestic and of economic interest- animals. It presents 2 main patterns: urban-alimentary (for consumption of unpasteurized milk and cheeses) and the rural-occupational (for professional exposure to infected cattle). The objective was to know the frequency of cases and the different laboratory techniques that arrives to the diagnosis of Brucellosis, in the Tropical Medicine Institute (IMT by its acronym in Spanish) during the period of 2017 to 2019. It has been made a descriptive and cross-sectional investigation. It was based on the analysis of 44 patients diagnosed with Brucellosis. 25% of the patients (11) required hospitalization. The age range was between 7 to 61 years, with a mean of 29 years old and a mode of 22. The portals of entry were: by contact with positive goats in the field of practice, slaughterhouses, veterinarians, vaccinators, and consume of unpasteurized milk. The serological samples by Huddleson reaction were positive with low dilutions; tube agglutination: 31 positive samples; agglutination with 2 mercaptoethanol: 11 positive samples. Biotype 1 of Brucella melitensis: identified in 13 patients. Our study indicates the existence of human brucellosis, mainly through direct contact due to professional and/or occupational reasons. This incidence must derive from an endemic situation in cattle, and therefore the measures of sanitation of cattle (vaccination) and education of the population at risk should be intensified.

Keywords : Human Brucellosis; Diagnosis; Paraguay..

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