Investigation of Pediatric Brucellosis

Background and Aim: Brucellosis (also known as undulant fever, Mediterranean fever, or Malta fever) is a zoonotic infection transmitted to humans from infected animals (sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, camels, or other animals) by ingestion of food products (such as unpasteurized dairy products) or by contact with tissue or fluids. This disease occurs on average in 11 to 56 percent of children in endemic regions. Despite being long recognized and controllable, the disease still causes substantial morbidity, affecting especially the young population. The objective of this research was to examine the clinical, laboratory results of childhood brucellosis and brucellosis epidemiological features in patients up to 15 years in the province in Pol-e Dokhtar city, Iran. Methods The diagnosis of brucellosis was established on the basis of clinical features, and positive results from Serologic evaluation included Wright test and the 2-mercaptoethanol (2ME) test. This information includes medical records of brucellosis patients in the years 2016 to 2019. SPSS software (version 22.0) was used for the data analysis. Results: Among the patients infected with Brucella, 19 males (70.37%) and 8 females (29.63%) were diagnosed and 11 patients (40.74%) were 5-9 years of age, 10 patients (37%) were 10-15 years of age, and 6 patients (22.26%) were < 5 year of age. Also 27 (100%) patients were from rural regions (the total of affected children) that confirmed direct contact with infected animals in all of them was already established. The most frequent seasons of disease occurrence were summer (33.38%) and winter (29.6%). Conclusion: Considering that 100% of the infection of children has been seen in those who lived in the village, it requires regular vaccination of livestock and proper training in the field of disease prevention.