Investigation of brucellosis cases in and around Yozgat Province

Abstract

Aims: Brucellosis causes a zoonotic infectious disease that is very common in our country as well as around the whole world. Infected individuals most frequently present with nonspecific symptoms such as fever, chills, malaise, and generalized body pain. Therefore, it is very difficult to diagnose. When diagnosis and treatment are delayed, it causes serious complications. It can cause pictures with high mortality, such as epididymoorchitis, endocarditis, hepatitis, neurobrucellosis, and pancytopenia. The first approach to treatment is rest. Antibiotics with intracellular bactericidal action should be used in combination due to resistance development. Methods: 136 individuals with serum titers who were diagnosed with brucellosis by serological tests and who applied to our hospital between 2017-2022 were included in the study. The patient files were analyzed to evaluate the complaints of these individuals, their Brucella ELISA titers, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotranspherase (ALT), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values, if any, at the time of diagnosis, the treatments they received, and the response to the treatment. Results: The first complaints of 136 patients who were diagnosed with brucellosis by serological tests were the most common; Joint pain was present in 48 (35.29%), widespread body pain in 26 (19.11%), and fever in 18 (13.23%). Sacroiliitis in 5 (3.67%), gonarthrosis in 4 (2.94%), bursitis in 4 (2.94%), discitis in 3 (2.2), and psoriasis in 1 of the patients’ abscess (0.73%) was detected. R=0.28 in the same direction between the first titers recognized by the patients and ALT; the same direction between titer and LDH R=0.30; the same ratio between titer and CRP is R=0.45; and there is a correlation coefficient of R=0.26 between titer and sediment in the same direction. It is important to take these correlation coefficients statistically (p<0.05). Accordingly, these values also change when it titrates. But it is weakened weights as a measure of relationship. Conclusion: Although fever comes to mind first in Brucellosis, it was observed that the first complaint of individuals in our study was complicated surgery, and fever ranked third. For this reason, Brucellosis should be approached with suspicion, since it is endemic in individuals presenting with non-specific complaints. It is widely present between serum titer and ESR, and C-reactive protein as markers of inflammation. In individuals with high vibration and inflammation markers, controlled caution should be exercised. Even treatment times can be changed.