Abstract
BackgroundBrucellosis is an important neglected bacterial zoonotic disease that has been affecting animals and humans for decades. Malaria has been considered major cause of illness in tropical areas, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify prevalence and risk factors of human brucellosis and malaria among patients with fever in malaria-endemic areas attending health institutes in Awra and Gulina district, Afar Region, Ethiopia.MethodsA purposive cross-sectional study was conducted among febrile patients who attended health institutes in Awra and Gulina district of Afar region from February to May 2019. 3–5 ml blood samples were collected, thick and thin blood films were prepared and examined for malaria; serum was separated and tested for anti-Brucella using Rose Bengal Plate Test, and the seropositives were subjected to ELISA. Data were entered using EpiData3.1 and analyses were performed using Stata SE 14.ResultsA total of 444 febrile individuals (59.5% female) of age ranging from 2 to 83 years (mean = 26.1, SD = ± 11.8) were participated in this study. The overall seroprevalence of brucellosis was 31.5% (95% CI; 27.4–36.0%) by RBPT and 15.8% (95% CI; 12.7–19.7%) by ELISA, as well as the prevalence of malaria (P. falciparum) was 4.3% (95% CI; 2.7–6.6%) among febrile patients. Malaria was more common in males (7.2% 95% CI; 4.2–12.1%) than in female (2.3% 95% CI; 1.0–5.0%, p = 0.01) and in non-married than in married (7.6% 95% CI; 4.1–13.6% vs. 2.9% 95% CI; 1.5–5.4%, p = 0.02). Being male (AOR = 2.41, 95%CI: 1.36–4.26, p < 0.002), drinking raw milk (AOR = 26.68, 95%CI: 3.22- 221.13, p = 0.002) and boiled milk (AOR = 17.52, 95%CI: 2.06—149.04, p = 0.009) and touching aborted fetus/discharges without protective (AOR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.01–6.528.50, p = 0.048) were independently associated with brucellosis among febrile patients.ConclusionThe prevalence of brucellosis in fever patients in this study area is higher than malaria. Consumption of raw milk and contact with animal discharge can cause significant risk of Brucella infection. So, brucellosis disease must be sought in the differential diagnosis, like ELISA test that can be used to differentiate from other febrile diseases like malaria.
Highlights
Brucellosis is an important neglected bacterial zoonotic disease that has been affecting animals and humans for decades
Brucellosis was frequently detected in males than in females (23.3%; 95% confidence intervals (CI); 17.7–30.1% vs. 10.6%; 95% CI; 7.4–15.0%, p < 0.001), in illiterate than in primary school and above educational status (20.4%; 95% CI; 15.4–26.6 vs. 11.9%; 95%CI; 8.4–16.7% p = 0.045) and in rural residents than in urban residents (17.6%; 95% CI; 13.9–22.0% vs. 9.3%; 95% CI; 4.9–17.0%p = 0.041)
The brucellosis disease was more frequently detected among pastoralists than among a group that holds agro-pastoralist, daily laborers, governmental workers, and students (20.0%; 95% CI; 15.2–25.9% vs. 11.8%; 95% CI; 8.2–16.7%, p = 0.018)
Summary
Brucellosis is an important neglected bacterial zoonotic disease that has been affecting animals and humans for decades. Brucellosis is a neglected bacterial zoonotic disease that has been affecting animals and humans for years [1]. The poor surveillance systems in developing countries like Ethiopia have led to the underestimation of the true burden of the cases of brucellosis [3]. In Sub-Saharan Africa, animal brucellosis ranges from 10.2 to 25.7% [5]. This high distribution in animals makes human beings to be exposed to acquire the infection and have a potential threat of re-emergence in several countries with an increased incidence of infection in cattle [5]
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