Comparative study of current diagnostic method with clinical based method for brucellosis: presentation of diagnostic clinical criteria in limited resource area
Journal Title: Jundishapur Journal of Microbiology - Year 2010, Vol 3, Issue 3
Abstract
Introduction and objectives: According to National Program against Brucellosis (NPB), diagnosis is based on serological tests (Wright>1/80 and 2 ME>1/20) in the presence of clinical finding. Regarding the lack of laboratory facilities in rural areas, diagnosis of the disease is faced with some difficulties. We conducted this study in order to present clinical criteria for the diagnosis of illness in limited resource area. Materials and methods: In a retrospective study, a total of 109 medical records of admitted brucellosis patients in three educational hospitals in Ahvaz south-west of Iran, from 2005 to 2007 were studied. By using the offered clinical criteria (OCC) (three major, or one major and three minor, or five minor) and NPB guidelines, patients were rediagnosed. Major criteria are animal close contact, fever and joint involvement. Minor criteria are sweating, headache, weight loss, chills and malaise. Finally the results of two diagnostic methods were compared in SPSS 16 software using chi-square and Fishers exact test. Differences with P<0.05 were considered significant. Results: The most common findings were occupational exposure (75.22%), arthralgia (92.66%), fever (78.97%), sweating (65.13%), headache (56.8%), weight loss (51.37%), malaise (54.12%) and chills (45.8%). Of total 109 brucellosis, 84 (77.1%) were rediagnosed as brucellosis by NPB and 91(82.5%) by OCC. No significant difference (P=0.57) was observed between the two methods in diagnosis of brucellosis. Conclusion: Our offered clinical criteria are as effective as the Iranian NPB guidelines in the diagnosis of brucellosis. These clinical criteria may be useful in rural and limited resource area of Iran.
Authors and Affiliations
Seyed Mohammad Alavi, Leila Alavi
Nalidixic acid susceptibility status of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates from Kolkata, Ind
Introduction and objectives: Typhoid is endemic in India; multidrug resistance of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi has been reported from Kolkata, India, but nalidixic acid (Nx) resistance has not been documented in thi...
Mycoflora of pistachio and peanut kernels from Sari, Iran
Introduction and objective: Fungal contamination of various foodstuffs and agricultural commodities is a major problem in the developing countries; therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the mycoflora of pistach...
In vitro activity of six antifungal drugs against clinically important dermatophytes
Introduction and objective: Dermatophytosis is a common fungal disease which involves the keratinized tissue. Several antifungal agents can be used to manage these infections. Unfortunately, drug resistant can result in...
Cloning, expression and purification of early secretory antigenic target 6kDa protein (ESAT-6) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Introduction and objective: The early secretory antigenic target 6kDa protein (ESAT-6) antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a dominant target for cell-mediated immunity in the early phase of tuberculosis (TB) in TB...
Characterization of antibiotic resistant patterns of Salmonella serotypes isolated from beef and chicken samples in Tehran
Introduction and objective: Infection with Salmonella is the most frequently reported cause of bacterial food-borne illness worldwide. Raw meat samples are a common source and, in recent years, much attention has been fo...