Seroprevalence of <i>Brucella</i> Antibodies and Risk Factors Associated with Human Brucellosis in High-Risk Occupational Groups of the Noun Division in the West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

Brucellosis is an anthropozoonotic disease with an important public health impact. Although the transmission of Brucella from animals to humans can occur in different epidemiological settings of sub-Saharan African countries, little data has been published on human brucellosis. This study aimed to detect Brucella antibodies and the risk factors associated to brucellosis among high-risk occupational groups of people in the Noun Division of Cameroon. For this study, a structured questionnaire was used to assess risk factors associated with human brucellosis. Thereafter, blood samples were collected from high-risk occupational groups of people in four villages. Plasma was extracted from each sample and Brucella antibodies were detected using Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (i-ELISA). Of the 273 participants enrolled, the overall seroprevalence of Brucella antibodies was 12.45% with RBPT and 10.26% with i-ELISA test. This seroprevalence was significantly (P = 0.04; X 2 = 9.73) higher among livestock herdsmen (15.8%), slaughterhouse workers (9.8%), butchers (4.8%), participants having no educational level (14.3%) and those experiencing above 5 years of risky activity (15%). Raw milk consumption (OR: 4.8; P = 0.001), no formal education (OR: 6.4; P = 0.03) and assistance of animal during parturition (OR: 7.2; P < 0.0001) appeared as factors that may increase the risk of Brucella infections. The detection of Brucella antibodies indicates the risk of human brucellosis in some groups of people of the Noun division.

Identification and Prevalence of Brucella Species Circulating among Cattle Slaughtered in the Douala and Buea Municipalities of Cameroon

“…Te genus Brucella includes twelve species, some of which are hostspecifc [3,4]. Te disease afects both humans and domestic animals, particularly cattle [2,5].…”

“…Brucellosis has been reported in 86 countries worldwide and is a serious threat to livestock and human health globally, with more than 500,000 documented livestock and human cases reported annually [8,11]. Sporadic cases of cattle brucellosis are often reported in some sub-Saharan African countries, with prevalence reaching 41% in some areas [2,5,7]. Cattle brucellosis is endemic in Cameroon, with reported seroprevalence ranging from 2.3-30.8% [6,10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18].…”