Risk Factors and Outbreak Management of Brucellosis in Asia

Objectives: Brucellosis affecting both humans and animals has been present in Asia for many generations. It continues to be a major public health concern, particularly where livestock is a major source of food and income. The study aims to analyse the risk factors of brucellosis and compare the outbreak management among Asian countries. Methods: A systematic search was performed from PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science search engines using the PRISMA checklist 2009. PICO tool was applied for keyword search. A total of 14 articles were included in qualitative synthesis and four articles were included in a meta-analysis. The included studies originated from high endemic countries and low endemic countries. Results: Most cases had a direct contact with the infected animal through occupational exposure. The overall odds ratio for consumption of raw animal products was 9.51 (3.24,27.92), P<0.05. For the history of contact with an infected animal, the overall odds ratio was 5.74 (1.89,17.39), P<0.05. The livestock related workers also had a significant overall odds ratio, 4.45 (1.15,17.19), P<0.05. Conclusion: The common risk factors for human brucellosis outbreak are consumption of infected animal products, history of contact with animals and livestock related workers. As the outbreak of human brucellosis and animal brucellosis is interrelated, an integrated approach to outbreak management is crucial.