Mohamed Teroj, Yahya Nizar Bakir
Dental Basic Sciences, University of Duhok, Duhok, IRQ.
General Medicine and Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Duhok, Duhok, IRQ.
Cureus. 2024 Jul 19;16(7):e64934. doi: 10.7759/cureus.64934. eCollection 2024 Jul.
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that can spread from animal to human through contaminated dairy products, raw vegetables, and water or via direct contact with infected animal tissues. While the disease affects individuals of all ages, research on its prevalence and clinical profile, particularly in Iraq, is limited. To address this knowledge gap, a retrospective observational study was conducted using data from the Bacterial Serology Laboratory of Heevi Pediatric Teaching Hospital, Duhok, Iraq, from 2018 to 2021. Of the 1,032 suspected cases of brucellosis in children, 72 cases that met the inclusion were analyzed. The study found a 7% prevalence of childhood brucellosis in the Duhok region, with the highest incidence of 7.8% in 2020. The infection rate was age-dependent, with most cases occurring in the year's third quarter. No statistically significant relationship was found between sex and the infection rate. These findings highlight the importance of targeted public health interventions and improved diagnostic protocols to reduce the prevalence of brucellosis among children in this region.
布鲁氏菌病是一种人畜共患疾病，可通过受污染的乳制品、生蔬菜和水，或通过直接接触受感染动物组织，从动物传播给人类。虽然该疾病影响所有年龄段的人，但关于其流行情况和临床特征的研究，尤其是在伊拉克，仍然有限。为了填补这一知识空白，利用伊拉克杜胡克市赫维儿科教学医院细菌血清学实验室2018年至2021年的数据，进行了一项回顾性观察研究。在1032例疑似儿童布鲁氏菌病病例中，对符合纳入标准的72例病例进行了分析。研究发现，杜胡克地区儿童布鲁氏菌病的患病率为7%，2020年发病率最高，为7.8%。感染率与年龄有关，大多数病例发生在第三季度。未发现性别与感染率之间存在统计学上的显著关系。这些发现凸显了有针对性的公共卫生干预措施和改进诊断方案对于降低该地区儿童布鲁氏菌病患病率的重要性。
