Development of high-performance immunoassay for Brucella canis and seroprevalence survey in humans and dogs of Buenos Aires urban area.

CORTINA, MARÍA E.; NOVAK A.; REY SERANTES D.A.; UGALDE JE; CIOCCHINI A. E.; COMERCI D. J

Chicago

Conferencia; 70th Brucellosis Research Meeting; 2017

Brucellosis International Research Association

B. canis causes disease in dogs and bitches that can lead to abortions and sterility and has the potential to be transmitted to humans. For this reason, early and accurate diagnosis of brucellosis from dog origin is central to control the disease. We developed and validated an improved enzyme and lateral flow immunoassays for the serodiagnosis of B. canis. To validate the assays, 284 dog sera obtained from naturally infected or healthy animals and 582 human sera from both infected patients or healthy donors were analyzed and the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity were determined. Finally, a blind serological survey was conducted including 1,040 serum samples obtained from urban dogs and 607 serum samples from human donors both from the Buenos Aires urban area. The results showed a prevalence higher than 5% in the dog population and near to 5% in humans highlighting the need of implementing new high-performance serological test as an effective way to improve the control of this neglected urban zoonosis and reduce the risk of transmission to humans.