Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brucellosis and veterinary surgeons.
- Journal:
- British medical journal
- Year:
- 1975
- Authors:
- Henderson, R J et al.
Plain-English summary
In a study involving 46 veterinary surgeons, many reported feeling unwell, with 35 experiencing various symptoms and eight showing physical signs that could suggest an infection with Brucella abortus, a type of bacteria. However, the blood tests that were done did not clearly link these symptoms to the infection. The researchers concluded that a careful clinical examination is the best way to assess health issues potentially caused by brucellosis, rather than relying solely on blood test results, which might not be very helpful or could even lead to confusion. Overall, the findings suggest that physical exams are more reliable than blood tests in these cases.
Abstract
Forty-six veterinary surgeons were given a full clinical examination, serological examinations with estimates of immunoglobulins, and supplementary haematological and radiological investigations. Thirty-five complained of one or more symptoms, and eight had abnormal physical signs which might have been caused by infection with Brucella abortus, but neither sereological tests results nor immunoglobulin estimates bore any special relation to the clinical features. The soundest way of assessing ill health which had possibly been caused by brucellosis seemed to be thorough clinical examination and disregard of serologican findings. Interpreting results by the usual serological tests in the absence of a clinical examination is probably of doubtful value and may even be misleading.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/806320/