Prevalence of antibody to Brucella in asymptomatic well individuals in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Two populations of asymptomatic well individuals resident in central Saudi Arabia were tested for antibody to brucella antigen. A relatively high prevalence of antibody (as measured by the standard agglutination test) was found in both populations. A much lower prevalence of antibody was demonstrated by the 2-mercaptoethanol test in these populations. There follows a discussion of the utility of brucella serological tests in developing countries in which the disease is endemic.