Seroprevalence of Brucellosis, Leptospirosis, and Q Fever Among Butchers and Slaughterhouse Workers in South-Eastern Iran Publisher Pubmed



Esmaeili S^{1, 2, 3} ; Naddaf SR⁴ ; Pourhossein B^{1, 5} ; Shahraki AH^{1, 2} ; Amiri FB^{1, 6} ; Gouya MM⁷ ; Mostafavi E^{1, 2} Show Affiliations
Source: PLoS ONE Published:2016

Abstract

Zoonotic diseases can be occupational hazards to people who work in close contact with animals or their carcasses. In this cross-sectional study, 190 sera were collected from butchers and slaughterhouse workers in different regions of the Sistan va Baluchestan province, in Iran in 2011. A questionnaire was filled for each participant to document personal and behavioural information. The sera were tested for detection of specific IgG antibodies against brucellosis, leptospirosis, and Q fever (phase I and II) using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The seroprevalence of brucellosis was 7.9%, leptospirosis 23.4%, and phase I and II of Q fever were 18.1% and 14.4%, respectively. The seroprevalence of Q fever and leptospirosis, but not brucellosis, varied among regions within the province (p = 0.01). Additionally, a significant relationship was found between seropositivity of Q fever and camel slaughtering (p = 0.04). Reduced seropositivity rate of brucellosis was associated with use of personal protective equipment (PPE) (p = 0.004). This study shows that brucellosis, leptospirosis and Q fever occur among butchers and slaughterhouse workers in this area. © 2016 Lisowska et al..