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. 2019 Apr 30;9(1):6657.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43043-7.

Spatial analysis to assess the relationship between human and bovine brucellosis in South Korea, 2005-2010

Jun-Sik Lim  1   2 , Kyung-Duk Min  2 , Sukhyun Ryu  3 , Seung-Sik Hwang  2 , Sung-Il Cho  4
Affiliations

Spatial analysis to assess the relationship between human and bovine brucellosis in South Korea, 2005-2010

Jun-Sik Lim et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

The first case of human brucellosis in South Korea was reported in 2002, and cases of human infection continue to occur. Although an association between human and bovine brucellosis has been identified, the spatial relationship has not been studied in South Korea. Here, we analysed the spatial patterns of human and bovine brucellosis retrieved from the human and veterinary surveillance data, as well as the spatial correlation between human and bovine brucellosis and associated factors that contribute to its occurrence. The risk of human brucellosis was analysed using a Bayesian spatial model with potential risk factors. Our results show that, for both human and bovine brucellosis, hotspots were clustered in the southeast regions of Korea, whereas coldspots were clustered in the northwest regions of Korea. Our study suggests that the risk of human brucellosis increases in rural regions with the highest risk of bovine brucellosis. Collaborative strategies between human and veterinary health sectors (e.g, public health intervention and region-specific eradication programs for bovine brucellosis) would reduce the burden of brucellosis in South Korea.

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Conflict of interest statement

KDM, SR, SSH, and SIC declare no competing interests. JSL is a public veterinary officer in Gyeonggi Provincial Government. However, this study was conducted by the authors independently of the government. Therefore, the opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
LISA and BiLISA cluster maps of human brucellosis and bovine brucellosis in Korea, 2005–2010 (a) LISA of human brucellosis, (b) LISA of bovine brucellosis (c) BiLISA of human and bovine brucellosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
BiLISA cluster maps of risk of human brucellosis and risk factors in Korea, 2005–2010. (a) BiLISA cluster map of the risk of HB and rural population. (b) BiLISA cluster map of the risk of HB and cattle population. (c) BiLISA cluster map of the risk of HB and mean herd size. (d) BiLISA cluster map of the risk of HB and the number of slaughtershouse.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Choropleth map showing posterior mean values of SIR of human brucellosis from Bayesian spatial zero-inflated model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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