ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Seroprevalence of Brucellosis among Blood Donors of Satara District, Maharashtra

Backgroind: In endemic area for brucellosis background levels of antibodies are found in healthy populations. Aims & Objectives: Theaim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti-brucella antibodies and base line titres among the blood donors.Materials and Methods: 321 blood samples were collected from blood donors. Serological tests - Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination Test(RBPT), Standard Tube Agglutination Test (STAT) and 2-Mercaptoethanol Agglutination Test (2ME), were carried out on all the blood samples. Results: Seroprevalence of brucellosis in blood donors was 5.91%, 3.11 % and 0.62% by RBPT, STAT and 2ME respectively. History of animal exposure and occasional raw milkingestion was observed in 137 individuals residing in rural area. Conclusion: Brucellosis might be common in rural population who comein contact with infected animals and or consume raw milk. For the diagnosis of brucellosis RBPT test should be used only for screening purpose and the positive results should be confirmed by STAT and 2ME tests. Titres of 160 IU and above for STAT and 80 IU and above for 2ME test can be considered significant for diagnostic purpose.