Background: Human brucellosis is a major public health issue in Egypt. Because the clinical signs of human brucellosis are so varied and vague, scientific confirmation via organism isolation or antibody detection is required to confirm the diagnosis. The aim of this work is measurement of the sensitivity and specificity of PCR for the detection of Brucella abortus BCSP31gene compared with the blood culture methods.
Methods: A total of 97 patients from different ages with symptoms of brucellosis were included in the study. This research study was carried out at Mansoura University Hospitals. The sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of BCSP31gene of Brucella abortus compared with blood culture methods.
Results: In positive PCR cases of brucella (total 14), a single band of a 223-bp corresponding to BCSP31gene was obtained. The true positive brucellosis cases (n = 6) are positive of blood culture and PCR. PCR was sensitive than blood culture for diagnosis of brucellosis since the sensitivity and specificity of PCR are 87.5% and 98.73% and the sensitivity and specificity of blood culture are 84.62% and 96.15%. The positive and negative predictive values of PCR are 86.56% and 94.80% and the positive and negative predictive values of blood culture are 78.98% and 92.54%. The accuracy (%) of PCR and blood culture is 94.72% and 90.67%. The PCR assay was shown to be more sensitive and specific.
Conclusion: The PCR showed higher efficiency for rapid diagnosis of human brucellosis, as compared to the blood culture method.