Seroprevalence of Brucella species among women with miscarriage in Jordan

Abstract

Results differ as to whether Brucella infection during pregnancy increases a woman's risk of miscarriage. We determined the seroprevalence of BrucelIa spp. among a sample of women with miscarriage and women with no history of miscarriage in Jordan during January-July 2003. Serum samples were collected from 445 women with miscarriage and a similar number of women with no history of miscarriage, matched on age, socioeconomic status and residence. Sera were tested using the Rose Bengal plate test and complement fixation test. The true seroprevalence among women with miscarriage was 1.8% (95% CI: 0.6-3.0), while the true seroprevalence among women with no history of miscarriage was 1.0% (95% CI: 0.08-1.9). There was no significant difference between seroprevalences of Brucella spp. among women with miscarriage and those with no history of miscarriage (P= 0.6).