Meta-analysis of brucellosis and relative risks

OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis was used to study the main risk factors of human brucellosis, thereby providing references for formulating brucellosis prevention and control strategies. METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data were systematically searched to identify relevant studies on dietary risk factors for human brucellosis worldwide, and the studies were screened according to the inclusion criteria, and a total of 57 studies were included. Seven dietary-related risk factors were identified: animal milk consumption, dairy consumption, raw or undercooked meat consumption, sick or dead animal meat consumption, blood consumption, zoonotic drinking water sources, and poor hand hygiene before meals. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3 software (The Nordic Cochrane Centre), and either the fixed-effects model or random-effects model was applied for meta-analysis to comprehensively quantitatively assess the risk factors of brucellosis spread in dietary habits. Additionally, sensitivity analyses and test for publication bias were performed to ensure the robustness of the findings. RESULTS: Meta-analysis of 57 articles included in the study showed that animal milk consumption (odds ratio [OR] = 5.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.56-7.37), dairy consumption (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.31-3.95), sick or dead animal meat consumption (OR = 4.54, 95% CI: 3.18-6.48), blood consumption (OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.83-4.04) were all risk factors for the transmission of human brucellosis in terms of dietary habits. CONCLUSION: Animal milk consumption, dairy consumption, sick or dead animal meat consumption, and blood consumption are the main risk factors of brucellosis.