Abstract
All 137 brucellosis cases occurring in Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia in 1997 were studied retrospectively. Brucella agglutination titre of > or = 1/80, or rising titre plus history of typical signs and symptoms were considered evidence of infection. The incidence rate was 34/100,000, mean age 33.8 +/- 13.9 years (range: 3-72 years) and male:female ratio 1.8:1. There were 63.5% of cases rurally resident, 58.4% kept animals at home or elsewhere, 27.0% worked with animals and/or on farms, and 88.3% reported a history of raw milk ingestion. The most common infecting agents were Brucella melitensis, B. abortus and B. suis. Splenomegaly and hepatomegaly were detected in 25.5% and 22.6% of cases respectively.
MeSH terms
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Adolescent
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Adult
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Age Distribution
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Aged
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Agricultural Workers' Diseases / epidemiology
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Agricultural Workers' Diseases / etiology
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Animals
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Animals, Domestic / microbiology
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Brucella abortus
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Brucella melitensis
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Brucella suis
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Brucellosis / epidemiology*
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Brucellosis / etiology
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Child
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Child, Preschool
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Female
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Hepatomegaly / epidemiology
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Hepatomegaly / microbiology
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Humans
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Incidence
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Milk / microbiology
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Prevalence
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Residence Characteristics / statistics & numerical data
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Retrospective Studies
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Risk Factors
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Rural Health / statistics & numerical data*
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Saudi Arabia / epidemiology
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Sex Distribution
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Splenomegaly / epidemiology
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Splenomegaly / microbiology
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Zoonoses / epidemiology
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Zoonoses / etiology