Update on childhood brucellosis.

In endemic regions of brucellosis, childhood brucellosis includes up to one-third of all cases of human brucellosis. The main source of infection in children is consumption of unpasteurized dairy products and traditional local foods containing dairy products. The older boys are more involved in animal care.

HBeAg seroconversion in children infected during early childhood with hepatitis B virus.

Background: Seroconversion of hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg) to anti-HBe is associated with lower viral load and liver diseases.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the seroconversion rate of HBeAg to anti-HBe in children who acquired hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection during early childhood.

Study Design: From September 1990 to December 2010, 139 HBeAg-positive children were followed up.

Follow-up standard agglutination and 2-mercaptoethanol tests in 175 clinically cured cases of human brucellosis.

Background: The standard agglutination (SAT) and 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) tests are usually used in the follow-up of treated cases of human brucellosis. The purpose of this study was to monitor the levels of these tests, two years after clinical cure in cases of brucellosis.

Methods: From April 2003 to September 2008, 175 clinically cured cases of brucellosis (103 males, 72 females) were evaluated.

Efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine in susceptible spouses of chronic hepatitis B virus infected individuals at the time of marriage.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine in susceptible spouses at the time of marriage.

Methods: From April 2003 to December 2005, 60 cases of susceptible wives of infected husbands and 32 cases of susceptible husbands of the infected wives in Babol north of Iran, received recombinant hepatitis B (HB) vaccine at the time of marriage followed with the second and third doses at 1, and 6 months. Post vaccination tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs and anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) were assessed 2 months of the later dose.

Childhood brucellosis in Babol, Iran.

This prospective study was conducted on 111 children with brucellosis, who attended the Department of Infectious Diseases, Babol, Iran, from September 1999 to March 2003. Fever (73.9%), sweating (67.