Prevention of Brucellosis in Saudi Arabia: A Narrative Review

Abstract

This review provides a detailed description of brucellosis infection in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Four databases were searched for journal articles, reviews, and case reports in the English language; the search was performed on June 2022. The aim of the current review is to enrich the literature on the brucellosis infection in the kingdom. Brucellosis was reported as a prevailing endemic infection in the kingdom that represents a health problem and socio-economic burden in all parts of the country. The endemicity of brucellosis in this country might be explained due to difficulty in controlling the importation of animals for slaughtering during the Hajj and Umra periods and for several other predisposing factors. The distribution of the disease is over the country and the most prevalent part is the south followed by the north and then the east and central parts. There are two main types of brucellosis species reported in Saudi Arabia include; Brucella abortus, and Brucella melitensis. The brucellosis clinical features range from asymptomatic to acute clinical features, the most frequent signs and symptoms include fever, joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea/vomiting, anorexia, and malaise in addition to the subsequent complications that might occur. However, the complexity of brucellosis control measures, there are several activities that have been implemented to tackle the disease such as mass vaccination of animals, regulating importation of slaughtered animals, and improving public awareness.