National epidemiology of culture-confirmed brucellosis in Israel, 2004-2022

Miriam Weinberger, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Michal Perry Markovich, Svetlana Bardenstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Brucellosis, a global zoonosis, is endemic in Israel. We used a national database of culture-confirmed cases (2004-2022) to analyse the trends of brucellosis. Of 2,489 unique cases, 99.8% were bacteraemic, 64% involved males, and the mean age was 30.5 years. Brucella melitensis was the dominant species (99.6%). Most cases occurred among the Arab sector (84.9%) followed by the Jewish (8.5%) and Druze (5.5%) sectors. The average annual incidence rates overall and for the Arab, Druze, and Jewish sectors were 1.6/100,000, 6.6/100,000, 5.5/100,000, and 0.18/100,000, respectively. The annual incidence rates among the Arab (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 36.4) and the Druze (IRR = 29.6) sectors were significantly higher than among the Jewish sector (p < 0.001). The highest incidence rates among the Arab sector occurred in the South District, peaking at 41.0/100,000 in 2012. The frequencies of B. melitensis isolated biotypes (biotype 1 - 69.1%, biotype 2 - 26.0%, and biotype 3 - 4.3%) differed from most Middle Eastern and European countries. A significant switch between the dominant biotypes was noted in the second half of the study period. Efforts for control and prevention should be sustained and guided by a One Health approach mindful of the differential trends and changing epidemiology.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere88
JournalEpidemiology and Infection
Volume152
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 May 2024

Keywords

  • Brucella
  • Brucella melitensis
  • Israel
  • brucellosis
  • brucellosis epidemiology
  • brucellosis incidence
  • epidemiology
  • humans
  • incidence
  • zoonosis

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases

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