Zoonotic brucellosis: an underestimated or misdiagnosed disease in Egypt.

Over six months,329 suggestive consecutive brucellosis human cases were diagnosed in attending the out-patients clinics of al-azhar and ain shams universities hospitals and giza governorate farmers. they were 100 females and 229 males with ages ranged between 15-65 years old. a total of 213 (64.75%) were working in dairy farm and/or consumed raw milk,16 (14.85%) used home slaughtering of sheep,and 100 (30.4%) were working in giza government slaughter-house. clinically and by elisa-igm 259 out of 329 the subjects were proven brucellosis patients (77.8%). besides,other patients had toxoplasmosis,or schistosomiasis mansoni or fascioliasis. double infection was encountered with toxoplasmosis and either schistosomiasis or fascioliasis. the causes of endemic liver parasitosis that may give false-clinical diagnosis were excluded. signs and symptoms of brucellosis patients were fever (91.5%),chills (84.1%),myalgia (69.5%),headache (58.2%),fatigue (77.2%),anorexia (54.1%),tachycardia (38.6%),hepato-and/or splenomegaly (46.2%),lymphadenopaqthy (19.6%) lower back abdominal pain (8.8%) and/or constitutive symptoms (13.1%).