A review of brucellosis in the Middle East and control of animal brucellosis in an Iranian experience

Abstract

To describe brucellosis infectious as a zoonotic disease, which is caused by Brucella spp. Brucellosis is considered to be a major health and economic challenge in developing countries, including Iran. This study focuses on epidemiology human's and animal's brucellosis and disease control strategies. Test-and-slaughter technique and extensive livestock vaccination programs are used for eradication of brucellosis. Test-and-slaughter is a general policy in Middle Eastern countries to eradicate the disease. Under this program, the Rose Bengal plate test is used as a screening measure to identify the infected herd, whereas the complement fixation test is applied as a confirmatory test. The prevalence of bovine brucellosis in 2015–2016 ranged between 7.2 and 18.1% in Kuwait and Jordan and ranged between 3 and 3.1% in Iraq and Iran in 2012–2014. Prevalence of goat brucellosis (Brucella melitensis) was 3.5% in Iran in 2014. Test-and-slaughter is used in most of the countries where the prevalence rate of the disease does not exceed 2%. Since 1963, testing the vaccine efficacy in goats and sheep has proven that vaccination can decrease the epidemic rate of the disease from 45 to 1.8%. This study indicated the test-and-slaughter technique alone has not proven successful in the eradication of brucellosis in Iran, and animal vaccination is essential to the control and eradication of animal and human brucellosis.