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High Incidence of Respiratory Involvement in a Cluster of Brucella suis ‐Infected Workers from a Pork Processing Plant in Argentina
Author(s) -
Wallach J. C.,
García J. L.,
Cardinali P. S.,
Seijo A. P.,
Benchetrit A. G.,
Echazarreta S. E.,
Garro S. L.,
Deodato B.,
Baldi P. C.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
zoonoses and public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.87
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1863-2378
pISSN - 1863-1959
DOI - 10.1111/zph.12339
Subject(s) - brucellosis , medicine , incidence (geometry) , brucella , epidemiology , myalgia , pneumonia , pleural effusion , respiratory system , veterinary medicine , physics , optics
Summary Epidemiological and clinical aspects of Brucella suis infection in 17 workers from a pork processing plant in Argentina occurring between January 2014 and July 2015 are presented. All patients reported working 9 h daily without adequate personal protection garment. Blood cultures were positive for Brucella spp. in 14 of the 17 patients (82.3%). All isolates were identified as B. suis biovar 1. Although fever, sweats, asthenia, myalgia and hepatic involvement were the most frequent clinical manifestations, an unusually high incidence of respiratory involvement was found. From 13 patients in which chest radiography was performed, four (30%) had radiological abnormalities, including lobar pneumonia in two cases (one with pleural effusion) and interstitial involvement in other two. The high frequency of respiratory involvement in our series makes necessary to consider brucellosis in the differential diagnosis of respiratory diseases in pork processing plant employees.