By Catherine Wu, Global Health Communications Assistant

Brucellosis is a bacterial infection spread to people from animals that can lead to serious chronic symptoms. Despite its significant impact on the health of people in many low-and-middle-income countries, little is known about how it affects people living in urban settings.

Now, a recent publication authored by Associate Dean of Global Health, Dr. Desiree LaBeaud, and her colleagues at Stanford and in Kenya reveals the prevalence of this zoonotic bacterial disease in urban populations in western and coastal Kenya. 

The study, published in Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, was centered on human and animal brucellosis in Kenya, where data is limited. Brucellosis most often spreads to humans through the consumption of infected animal meat or milk. In humans, brucellosis manifests as a chronic disease, with symptoms such as fever that comes and goes, arthritis, inflammation of the heart, brain, and other organs, and infections of the spleen and liver.

“Despite its high prevalence in humans in many parts of the world, brucellosis continues to be considered a neglected disease,” the study’s first author Esra Buyukcangaz says. “Human brucellosis poses significant public health concerns.” 

In their work, Buyukcangaz, LaBeaud, and their colleagues sought to investigate the seroprevalence and molecular prevalence of human brucellosis in over 300 participants who were exposed to animals and animal products.

From their survey, the group found higher prevalence of human brucellosis than was previously known. Specifically, over one fourth (28%) of participants had brucella exposure, with no significant correlation between exposure and study site, participants’ gender, age, socioeconomic status, ownership of livestock, or consumption of raw animal products.

Desiree LaBeaud and her colleagues’ work highlights the importance of conducting brucellosis surveillance in urban populations, and suggests the need for more detailed investigation of the disease as a public health concern.

“Animal health and human health are closely related, and evaluating zoonotic diseases within the One Health paradigm is essential,” Esra Buyukcangaz says.