Prevalence of brucellosis in the rural area of Kayseri, Central Anatolia, Turkey.

This study was planned in order to make good the lack of information about population-based data on the prevalence of brucellosis in the Kayseri region. This cross-sectional research was performed on 1850 individuals living in the rural regionaround Kayseri. People aged 15-85 in 9 districts in this rural areas were interviewed and blood samples were screened using the Rose Bengal Agglutination test. The overall prevalence of brucellosis was 3.4%. Although the rate was higher in females (3.7%) than in males (2.9%), there was no significant difference. The lowest prevalence (2.0%) was observed in the 25-34 age group, and the highest prevalence (4.3% and 4.1%) were in the 35-44 and 15-24 age groups, respectively. The highest prevalence was observed in the illiterate group. The prevalence was much higher among people in close contact with sheep and/or cattle, those making home made cheese, butter and cream and also in those who consumed butter and cream. It was concluded that although the seroposivity rate is low in Turkey, health education and screening of people in rural areas is necessary.