Brucella Antibody, IgG, EIA

The Brucella Antibody, IgG, EIA (Brucella IgG EIA) provides qualitative detection of IgG directed against Brucella abortus to aid the diagnostic assessment of brucellosis. The assay is used when acute septicemic disease or chronic, relapsing infection is suspected and is interpreted in conjunction with clinical findings and other serologic tests for brucellosis antibodies.

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection with multi-organ involvement and a tendency to progress to chronic disease. Human infection most often follows ingestion of contaminated dairy products, meat, or water; percutaneous and airborne exposure can occur in occupational settings. Reservoir species include goats, sheep, cattle, and swine, which shed organisms in feces, urine, milk, and amniotic fluid. Brucella are intracellular bacteria capable of persisting in the environment—such as in water, meat, certain dairy products, and animal hair—and are inactivated by boiling or sufficient heating. The incubation period is typically 1–4 weeks but can extend to 2–3 months with latent carriage. Acute disease usually begins abruptly with high fever, chills, sweats, myalgia, and arthralgia, whereas chronic brucellosis often relapses and involves multiple organ systems with generally moderate systemic symptoms. Diagnosis relies on culture of blood, lymph node aspirate, or cerebrospinal fluid and on serologic assays for Brucella antigens and antibodies; class-specific serology, including IgG, can help distinguish acute from chronic infection. Serologic results are interpreted in the context of clinical features and other laboratory data.