Rapid detection of Brucella by an automated blood culture system at a tertiary care hospital of north India

Brucellosis is a significant veterinary and public health problem in endemic areas including the Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, the African subcontinent, the Latin America and parts of Asia1. Species prevalent in India include Brucella melitensis and B. abortus2. B. melitensis is the most virulent and the commonest species and it causes severe and prolonged disease with a risk of disability in man. Goats, reared for meat, constitute the main source of infection. Goat and sheep milk is used for adulteration when there is a shortage of cows and buffalos milk in summer months3. B. abortus is the main species in cattle4, and bovine brucellosis is widespread in India5. Brucella species are capable of evading host defense mechanisms, surviving as intracellular organisms, and are able to cause prolonged morbidity, relapses, and long-term sequelae. It has very low mortality (1%) but high morbidity6. It may affect any organ of the body with clinical manifestations that include fever, joint pains, loss of weight, sweating, cough, sciatica, splenic enlargement, liver enlargement, orchitis, etc7. The non-specific and protean clinical presentation mimics other infectious and non-infectious conditions and consequently, the diagnosis of the disease is often missed or delayed8.