Prevalence of proline racemase/ hydroxyproline epimerase gene in human isolates in Iran.

Human brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella melitensis, , and . causes a chronic disease, which subverts the immune defense system of their hosts. In this study, the prevalence of an important virulence determinant, , which can modulate immune response, was determined in human isolates. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was standardized and applied to 37 isolates obtained from patient's specimens. Primers for gene were designed and evaluated using bioinformatic tools. DNA sequencing was performed for further verification. In the 37 isolates (31 melitensis and 6 abortus), 32 (86.4%) carried gene. Presence of gene in most isolates indicates the high prevalence of this gene among Iranian isolates and emphasizes its role in pathogenicity of this organism.