Brucella melitensis Biovar 1 and Brucella abortus S19 Vaccine Strain Infections in Milkers Working at Cattle Farms in the Khartoum Area, Sudan.
BACKGROUND
Human brucellosis is a preventable zoonoses that may become persistent, causing, if left untreated, severe localized disease. Occupational exposure to infected animals or animal products and consumption of fresh contaminated dairy are main risk factors.


METHODS
One hundred farmworkers employed at two cattle farms one in Khartoum North and one in Omdurman were screened for the presence of specific antibodies and seropositive workers were invited to donate a blood sample for blood culture. Molecular typing was used to characterize Brucella isolates.


RESULTS
Ten percent of farmworkers tested seropositive and while Brucella melitensis biovar 1 was isolated from the blood of three individuals, an isolate identical to the B. abortus S19 vaccine strain was isolated from a fourth person. All four bacteremic individuals were employed as milkers and did not have obvious disease.


CONCLUSIONS
The isolation of the highly infectious pathogen B. melitensis from seropositive workers is consistent with the notion that the pathogen may persist in the blood without causing overt disease. While vaccination with strain S19 is essential for the control of bovine brucellosis the vaccine strain may be transmitted to the human population and protective measures remain important to prevent exposure also in view of the presence of B. melitensis. To create awareness for this potentially severe disease more information on the prevalence of the pathogen in different risk groups and in livestock in the Sudan is needed.
University of Alzaiem Alazhari, Khartoum, Sudan.
Amira E F
AE
Osman
University of Alzaiem Alazhari, Khartoum, Sudan.
Abdullahi N
AN
Hassan
University of Alzaiem Alazhari, Khartoum, Sudan.
Ali E
AE
Ali
KIT Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Theresia H
TH
Abdoel
KIT Biomedical Research, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Henk L
HL
Smits
D000328:Adult; D000383:Agriculture; D000818:Animals; D002004:Brucella Vaccine / Q000276:immunology*; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology*; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000276:immunology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013397:Sudan; D000078329:Workforce
D002004:Brucella Vaccine