Brucellosis in Qatar : a retrospective cohort study

Abstract EN

Background: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, complications and treatment of brucellosis in the State of Qatar.

Methods: The medical records of patients in Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar were reviewed from January 2000 to December 2006.

History, various socio-demographic features, clinical and biochemical parameters, therapeutic features, and complications were retrospectively collected from the patient database.

Results: Around three quarters of the study population were males.

History of raw milk consumption and animal contact were seen in 41.7% and 12.5% respectively.

The main presenting features of our cohort were fever, chills and sweating (93.1%, 62.5% and 58.3% respectively).

Positive antibody titre (.1:160) was detected in 95.8% and positive blood culture was reported in 63.9% of the cohort.

Splenomegaly was observed in 19.4%, hepatomegaly in 15.3% and lymphadenopathy in 9.7% of the cases.

Approximately half of our patients were treated with a combination of doxycycline and streptomycine and nearly one quarter received doxycycline and rifampicine combination therapy.

Conclusions: Brucellosis is an important public health problem worldwide.

It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

It may affect any organ system and can present with a variety of clinical features.

Diagnosis of brucellosis requires serological tests with or without blood culture.

Treatment with at least two antibiotics for six weeks or more appears to be effective