Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Brucella melitensis Isolates from Blood Samples

Aim: Brucellosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease that remains an important public health problem in rural Turkey. The aim of the present study was to identify Brucella species and biotypes, and to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates from blood samples. Materials and Methods: The study included 46 Brucella isolates from the Kirikkale region of central Anatolia. The identification and biotyping of the isolates were based on conventional methods. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of tetracycline, rifampin, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin were determined using the E test method. Results: All isolates were identified as B. melitensis (45 isolates, biotype-3) and were sensitive to tetracycline, streptomycin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin. In all, 2 isolates showed intermediate sensitivity to rifampin, whereas the others were sensitive. MIC90 values of tetracycline, streptomycin, rifampin, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin were 0.25 mg/l, 0.50 mg/l, 1.0 mg/l, 0.25 mg/l, and 1.0 mg/l, respectively. Conclusions: In recent years there has been tremendous interest in the identification of Brucella strains and their antimicrobial susceptibility. According to antimicrobial susceptibility test results, none of the isolates in the Kirikkale region of Turkey were resistant to the currently recommended antibiotics. The present study´s findings were discussed along with a brief review of similar studies from Turkey.