ABSTRACT
The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of anti-Brucella abortus antibodies in occupational groups involved in cattle raising in Correntes County, Pernambuco State, Brazil, evaluating the risk factors associated with the infection in humans, and estimating the prevalence in dairy cattle. In order to do so, 1089 samples from adult bovines and from 56 humans were collected and examined by the tampon acidified antigen (TAA) test. The samples were subjected to slow serum agglutination (SSA) and to 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) and, when positive by one or both techniques, for any titer, were examined by the complement fixation (CF) technique. Additionally, people who were subjected to blood collection were asked to answer an investigative questionnaire. The prevalence for the bovines was 6.8% (74/1.089) obtained through the SSA and 2-ME, and in humans it was 1.8% (1/56) by TAA. In the SSA, 21.4% (12/56) of the human samples were positive, with, however, no samples positive by 2-ME (0% – 0/12) or by CF (0% – 0/12). The studied risk factors: intake of raw milk and its byproducts, contact with secretion, meat manipulation, glove utilization and iatrogenic transmission in the handling of the B19 vaccine, were not analyzed statistically, because no individual was detected positive by the complement fixation test. The results of this study suggest that the population of the rural zone in Correntes County is exposed to infection by Brucella abortus, although it is not possible to infer the existence of intercurrence between the bovine and human infection. Nevertheless, greater vigilance by the health authorities must be implemented.
KEY WORDS
Bovine brucellosis; human brucellosis; risk factor; Correntes County; Pernambuco