A Review on Brucellosis in Cameroon: Diagnostic Approaches, Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Infection

Abstract

Brucellosis is a neglected tropical zoonotic disease that threatens the food production and public health sectors. It is of considerable animal welfare and economic importance and is underreported in most parts of the world, especially in developing countries like Cameroon. Brucellosis has been reported in cattle, other domestic animals and humans in Cameroon. The burden of the disease is unclear, and the awareness remains questionable. It became necessary for this review to be carried out to highlight the diagnostic approaches used to confirm brucellosis in animals and humans, disease epidemiology and risk factors for infection. So far, reports of brucellosis in previous studies have been based on serology only. Seroprevalence data of Brucella antibodies in animals indicate the risk of human brucellosis in Cameroon. However, few investigations have been undertaken on human brucellosis, considering the different epidemiological settings. There is no report or unsuccessful attempts to identify Brucella species circulating in Cameroon. It could largely be attributed to a lack of standard laboratories for testing and the lack of consumables. The way forward will require a surveillance system for brucellosis in the country, educating all sectors affected and drafting a diagnostic protocol for high-risk individuals.

The Development of Diagnostic and Vaccine Strategies for Early Detection and Control of Human Brucellosis, Particularly in Endemic Areas

“…By sequencing, it is possible to discover molecular mechanisms that explain variations of biotypes and evolutionary relationships for human brucellosis [ 148 , 149 ]. Identifying these targets could be a significant step forward in the development of diagnoses and vaccinations aimed at combating and treating brucellosis [ 150 ].…”

“…In low-income countries, the current availability of next-generation sequencing technologies is woefully insufficient to meet the requirements for research carried out in those countries. The fact that there is no specific test for definitively identifying a bacterium is the primary reason for the necessary integration of multiple techniques for Brucella’ s diagnosis [ 149 , 151 , 152 ]. Although there are valid and reliable advertising and home-made molecular techniques that can ensure a high degree of accuracy and precision of results, conventional methods of culture and indirect methods of serology continue to be the primary methods of diagnosing brucellosis and following up on infections caused by Brucella species.…”

Identification and Prevalence of Brucella Species Circulating among Cattle Slaughtered in the Douala and Buea Municipalities of Cameroon

“…Brucellosis, caused by a group of bacteria of the genus Brucella, is a widespread, endemic, and neglected zoonotic disease in most low-income countries [1,2]. Te genus Brucella includes twelve species, some of which are hostspecifc [3,4]. Te disease afects both humans and domestic animals, particularly cattle [2,5].…”

“…Tis difculty has been mainly due to the uncontrolled movement of diseased animals (mainly cattle) within and outside the national territory [6]. In addition, there is no surveillance system for detecting and slaughtering to eliminate infected cattle from the herds [4,18]. A review of the literature on brucellosis research in Cameroon revealed that no study has been conducted in regions experiencing the urbanisation of cattle from the regions reported to be endemic for the disease [4,18].…”

“…In addition, there is no surveillance system for detecting and slaughtering to eliminate infected cattle from the herds [4,18]. A review of the literature on brucellosis research in Cameroon revealed that no study has been conducted in regions experiencing the urbanisation of cattle from the regions reported to be endemic for the disease [4,18]. In Cameroon, only one attempt has been made at speciating Brucella in a study by Mitterran et al, who revealed a prevalence of 18.4% for B. abortus and 1.7% for B. melitensis in cattle [19].…”