Abstract
BackgroundBrucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Brucella species. The diagnosis and clinical assessment of human brucellosis are very important for the management of patients, while there is a lack of effective methods to detect Brucellae. Classical culture of Brucella species is time consuming and often fails. A simple and sensitive assay is needed for diagnosis of Brucella infection and monitoring of treatment in man.MethodsBlood samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 154 patients hospitalized for brucellosis. Brucella antibodies were detected by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), Standard Tube Agglutination Test (SAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Intracellular Brucellae were detected by blood culture and immunofluorescence staining (IFS).ResultsAmong 154 brucellosis patients, 59.7% (92/154) were antibody reactive by RBPT, 81.8% (126/154) by SAT and 95.5% (147/154) by ELISA, respectively. Only 3.2% (5/154) of patient blood samples resulted in positive Brucella culture, while 68.8% (106/154) carried IFS detectable Brucella antigens in PBMCs. Gender (P = 0.01) but not age (P > 0.05) was a significant risk factor. The frequency of intracellular Brucella antigens was similar between patients receiving different treatment regimens (P > 0.05). However, a significant decrease of intracellular Brucellae was observed only in patients with acute brucellosis after the third course of treatment (P < 0.05), suggesting that current regimens to treat chronic brucellosis were not effective.ConclusionsIFS appears a sensitive assay for detection of Brucella antigens in PBMCs and could be used for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of brucellosis in clinical practice.
Highlights
Brucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses in the developing world and is caused by the Gramnegative bacterium Brucella species [1]
Association of immunofluorescence cell staining (IFS) detection with potential factors of brucellosis We examined the correlation between detection rate of Brucellae and multiple potentially associated factors
There is a lack of effective methods to detect Brucella antigen and monitor treatment
Summary
Brucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses in the developing world and is caused by the Gramnegative bacterium Brucella species [1]. Intracellular Brucella spp. is often detected in chronic disease, and usually persists lifelong [2]. Previously developed immunofluorescence cell staining (IFS) was utilized to detect intracellular bacteria [7, 8] and was applied for diagnosis and monitoring of patients infected with Brucellae. Brucellosis is one of the most severe widespread zoonoses caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Brucella species. The diagnosis and clinical assessment of human brucellosis are very important for the management of patients, while there is a lack of effective methods to detect Brucellae. A simple and sensitive assay is needed for diagnosis of Brucella infection and monitoring of treatment in man
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