Brucellosis remains neglected in many countries despite its public health importance. In developing countries such as Ghana, there remains paucity of data particularly among high-risk populations such as slaughterhouse workers. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of Brucella infection and risk factors for its transmission among people working in and around slaughterhouses. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 220 participants selected through a stratified sampling method. Participants were interviewed about their knowledge on Brucella and their occupational activities using a structured questionnaire. Collected serum samples were analyzed for anti-Brucella Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Data was analyzed using uni-and multivariate logistic regression models. From 220 participants, anti-Brucella IgM-and IgG antibodies were detected in 4 (1.8%) and 21 (9.6%), respectively. 9.3% of the participants with animal contact at work (5/54) and 11.5% of those working in meat processing (17/148) have heard about Brucella and its transmission mode. Most of the anti-Brucella IgG seropositive individuals (17/21) were working in the meat processing category (OR 2.2; 95% CI 0.6-7.9; p = .22). Multivariate analysis showed that job duration was significantly associated with seropositivity to Brucella IgG (OR 1.31; 95% CI 0.9-1.8, p-value .03). The findings demonstrate recent and past Brucella infections among workers of the Kumasi abattoir with a high risk for less educated meat processing staff. Thus, intensive educational programmes on Brucella designed for workers with high risks and improving workplace protection policy are recommended.
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease in humans with its public health importance. Laboratory diagnostic methods targeting brucellosis are not performed in hospital settings across Ghana. Very little is known about the comparative diagnostic abilities of the various tests available presently. The aim of this study therefore was to evaluate and compare diagnostic performances of Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT), Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) employed in diagnosing Brucella infection. Two hundred and twenty Abattoir workers were randomly selected in Kumasi, Ghana. Blood samples were collected, serum extracted and tested for the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies and compared among three different techniques, using ELISA, RBPT and PCR. From the 220 participants tested for antibodies against Brucella spp., 3 (1.4%), 4 (1.8%) and 21 (9.6%) were positive for Rose Bengal Plate test, anti-Brucella ELISA IgM and anti-Brucella ELISA IgG respectively. A total of 98 (44.5%) participants tested positive by PCR. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive values and Kappa value for Rose Bengal in comparison with PCR were 66.7%, 55.8%, 2.0%, 100% and 0.013 respectively while that for ELISA IgG in comparison with PCR were 85.7%, 71.3%, 18.4%, 98.5% and 0.212 respectively. PCR yielded the highest sensitivity and specificity among the three diagnostic methods in this study and should be considered for use at strategic reference laboratories to augment existing routine serological tests for brucella performed in laboratories in Ghana.
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