Brucellosis in pregnancy and its response to the changing immunoglobulin A: A prospective controlled study

Demet Aydoğan Kırmızı; Emre Başer; Emine Yeşilyurt Şölen; Mustafa Kara; Melike Demir Çaltekin; Neziha Yılmaz; Taylan Onat; Ethem Serdar Yalvaç

doi:10.4274/tjod.galenos.2022.37530

Brucellosis in pregnancy and its response to the changing immunoglobulin A: A prospective controlled study

Turk J Obstet Gynecol. 2022 Mar 28;19(1):1-6. doi: 10.4274/tjod.galenos.2022.37530.

Authors

Demet Aydoğan Kırmızı¹, Emre Başer¹, Emine Yeşilyurt Şölen², Mustafa Kara³, Melike Demir Çaltekin¹, Neziha Yılmaz⁴, Taylan Onat¹, Ethem Serdar Yalvaç¹

Affiliations

¹ Yozgat Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yozgat, Turkey.
² Yozgat Bozok University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Yozgat, Turkey.
³ Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kırşehir, Turkey.
⁴ Ufuk University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Ankara, Turkey.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to define the rare Brucella infection in pregnancy and its effects on immunoglobulins (Ig).

Materials and methods: This prospective study has conducted Brucella screening using the Rose Bengal test on pregnant and non-pregnant outpatients who did not show any specific Brucella symptoms. The immunoglobulin levels were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The study group consisted of pregnant women who were at 20 weeks or below gestation and applied to our hospital outpatient clinic for routine check-ups. The control group consisted of healthy patients who applied for routine controls.

Results: This study included a total of 584 participants, 293 of whom were controls and 291 were the study (pregnant) participants. The study revealed a 1.5% incidence of Brucella during pregnancy. In acute and chronic Brucella infection, lower levels of IgA response were observed in pregnant cases compared to the control group.

Conclusion: Brucella infection is a disease that can cause fetal problems, especially in endemic areas. The role of the altered IgA response in pathologies that are associated with Brucella infection stands out as a new target for disease pathophysiology.

Keywords: Brucella; immunoglobulin A; pregnancy.