The seroprevalence of brucellosis in horses in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Brucellosis is a contagious and common disease between humans and animals, which is caused by Brucella species. This disease in horses is mainly caused by Brucella abortus and Brucella suiss species. In equines, this infection is usually accompanied by clinical symptoms. In equines, it is mainly associated with bursitis, tenosynovitis and osteomyelitis. Epidemiological studies of brucellosis in horses are very important. The purpose of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in horses in the country. The purpose of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of brucellosis in horses in Iran. Two researchers independently searched internal and foreign databases in order to obtain relevant Persian and English documents. To avoid bias in the study, search, selection of studies, qualitative assessment and data extraction were done by two researchers independently. Any disagreement between the two researchers was investigated by a third person. In the present study, 17 studies with a sample size of 3032 horses were included in the quantitative analysis. The total seroprevalence of brucellosis in horses in Iran was estimated at 3.5% (95% confidence interval, 4.6-2.3). Despite the low seroprevalence of brucellosis in the horse population in Iran, it is suggested to consider the possibility of infection of this animal host in close contact with preferred animal hosts in the country's brucellosis control programs.