Volume 15, Issue 2: 2025 - Article 203

Abstract
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease of major public health and economic importance. The presence of the disease in livestock within an area commonly translates to its occurrence in humans in the same environment. Although the disease is prevalent in livestock in Nigeria, data on its occurrence in humans in Nsukka, Southeast Nigeria is scarce in literature. The present study evaluated the seroprevalence of Brucella antibodies among febrile human patients in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional survey. Blood samples were collected from the 168 febrile patients that consented to participate in the study at the Bishop Shanahan Hospital Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, from April to July 2023. The serum samples derived from centrifuging the blood samples were tested for Brucella antibodies with the Rose Bengal Test (RBT). The serum samples were further tested with the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) for Brucella antibodies as a supporting test. Results showed that out of the 168 febrile patients screened, 43 (25.60%) were positive with the RBT. However, with the cELISA test, only 9 (5.36%) of the samples were positive for Brucella antibodies. Based on the RBT results, 20.80% were positive for Brucella antibodies among febrile patients within the age group of 18 – 30 years, 43.75% among the 31 – 45 year age group and 27.27% within the age group of ≥ 45years. Further, based on the RBT test, seroprevalence of Brucella antibodies was 33.33% among the male participants but 24.11% among the females. Seroprevalence based on the RBT was significantly associated with age (p = 0.029), but not the gender (p = 0.606) of the participants.  It is advised that doctors in human hospitals in Nsukka Nigeria should consider brucellosis in the differential diagnosis of diseases in febrile patients.

Keywords: Brucella antibodies; Febrile patients; Rose Bengal test; Competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Nsukka, Nigeria.

How to cite this article:
Ezeh GC, Njoga SC, Emethilue JO, Onunkwo JI and Ogugua AJ (2025). Seroprevalence of Brucella antibodies among febrile human patients in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of Veterinary and Applied Sciences, 15(2): 1195 – 1203.

*Correspondence: E-mail:  ogugua.akwoba@unn.edu.ng      Phone: +2348033844475

Seroprevalence of Brucella antibodies among febrile human patients in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Gladys C. Ezeh ^{1, 2, 4}, Samson C. Njoga ¹, John O. Emethilue ^{2, 3}, Joseph I. Onunkwo ^{1, 2}, Akwoba J. Ogugua ^{1, 2, *
1} Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
² Faculty of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Surgeons of Nigeria.
³ Veterinary Services Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria.
⁴ Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Alex-Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu Alike Ebonyi State, Nigeria.

Download .pdf copy here >>