Frequency of brucella in milk samples of sheep and goat with history of abortion in some provinces of Iran

Brucellosis, especially caused by Brucella melitensis, remains one of the most common zoonotic diseases worldwide with more than 500,000 human cases reported annually. In Iran, brucellosis was first recognized in 1932 and control of small ruminant brucellosis began in 1961. The aim of this survey was to detect the brucella in raw milk samples of sheep and goat flocks in some provinces of Iran. In this survey raw sample milks were achieved from sheep and goat flocks with abortion from Fars, Kerman, Hamadan, North Khorasan and Khorasan Razavi Provinces. Fresh sheep and goat raw milk samples were achieved from flocks with abortion. For investigation of brucella samples were transferred to brucella agar medium and observed for growth of brucella colony everyday till 5 days. For confirmation of brucella colony microbiolgical and biochemical test were done. Results of this survey revealed that 43% of samples were contaminated with brucella. All samples of Kerman Province and 10 percent of Khorasan razavi,s samples detected as positive in culture. The isolation of brucella from 43% of the raw milk samples in this survey reveals the potential risk that raw milk carries for brucellosis. Prevention is dependent upon increasing public awareness through health education programs.