Seroprevalence of brucellosis in animals and human populations in the western mountains region in Libya, December 2006-January 2008.

Brucellosis is a global zoonotic disease, endemic in North African countries and around the Mediterranean.A prospective study of Brucella seroprevalence was conducted in north-western Libya (western mountains region). Blood samples collected over 13 months in the period December 2006 to January 2008 from 561 animals (goats, sheep, cattle and camels) and 546 human volunteers were tested for Brucella using the Rose Bengal test, tube agglutination test and ELISA assays. Amongst livestock, 31% of goats and 42% of cattle were seropositive. Human samples showed a high seropositivity of 40%, with 95 (43%) of the 221 positive samples positive for IgM, indicating active or recent infection. Control measures are needed to reduce this high prevalence of brucellosis in Libya.