Table 2.
Survey results on the knowledge of brucellosis among farmers and animal owners in Saudi Arabia (n = 522).
| Item | Farmers (n = 291) | Commercial owners (n = 118) | Private owners (n = 113) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brucella can infect humans | 249 (85.6) | 115 (97.5) | 109 (96.5) | < 0.001 |
| How is Brucella transmitted to humans? | ||||
| Dairy products | 130 (44.7) | 77 (65.3) | 99 (87.6) | < 0.001 |
| Contact with blood or raw meat | 98 (33.7) | 57 (48.3) | 85 (75.2) | < 0.001 |
| Inhalation | 96 (33) | 49 (41.5) | 37 (32.7) | 0.225 |
| Touching of animals | 57 (19.6) | 23 (19.5) | 19 (16.8) | < 0.805 |
| Raw meat consumption | 53 (18.2) | 41 (34.7) | 79 (69.9) | < 0.001 |
| I do not know | 62 (21.3) | 19 (16.1) | 7 (6.2) | 0.001 |
| How is Brucella transmitted between animals? | ||||
| Inhalation | 65 (22.3) | 17 (14.4) | 6 (5.3) | < 0.001 |
| Direct contact | 48 (16.5) | 13 (11) | 5 (4.4) | 0.004 |
| Consumption of contaminated food or water | 29 (10) | 24 (20.3) | 15 (13.3) | 0.018 |
| Sexual contact | 15 (5.2) | 32 (27.1) | 85 (75.2) | < 0.001 |
| Unclean farms | 15 (5.2) | 7 (5.9) | 1 (0.9) | 0.113 |
| Contact with infected blood | 4 (1.4) | 1 (0.8) | 2 (1.8) | 0.828 |
| I do not know | 121 (41.6) | 37 (31.4) | 9 (8) | < 0.001 |
| What are the symptoms of brucellosis in humans? | ||||
| Fever | 133 (45.9) | 88 (74.6) | 98 (86.7) | < 0.001 |
| Arthralgia | 78 (26.8) | 38 (32.2) | 47 (41.6) | 0.015 |
| Lethargy/fatigue | 64 (22) | 19 (16.1) | 26 (23) | 0.340 |
| Headache | 33 (11.3) | 23 (19.5) | 6 (5.3) | 0.004 |
| Back pain | 33 (11.3) | 18 (15.3) | 6 (5.3) | 0.050 |
| Myalgia | 9 (3.1) | 3 (2.5) | 2 (1.8) | 0.757 |
| Sweating | 6 (2.1) | 12 (10.2) | 13 (11.5) | < 0.001 |
| I do not know | 87 (29.9) | 17 (14.4) | 7 (6.2) | < 0.001 |
| What are the symptoms of brucellosis in animals? | ||||
| Fatigue | 54 (18.6) | 20 (16.9) | 10 (8.8) | 0.056 |
| Fever | 28 (9.6) | 14 (11.9) | 16 (14.2) | 0.410 |
| Loss of appetite | 20 (6.9) | 8 (6.8) | 2 (1.8) | 0.122 |
| Miscarriage | 19 (6.5) | 35 (29.7) | 70 (61.9) | < 0.001 |
| Testicular swelling | 18 (6.2) | 21 (17.8) | 34 (30.1) | < 0.001 |
| Cold symptoms | 17 (5.8) | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 0.003 |
| Eye tears | 13 (4.5) | 4 (3.4) | 0 (0) | 0.076 |
| Difficulty breathing | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.8) | 0 (0) | 0.573 |
| Diarrhea | 1 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 0(0) | 0.672 |
| I do not know | 158 (54.3) | 47 (39.8) | 13 (11.5) | < 0.001 |
| Brucellosis is treatable in humans | 243 (83.5) | 112 (94.9) | 88 (77.9) | < 0.001 |
| How can brucellosis be prevented in humans? | ||||
| Occupational hygiene | 106 (36.4) | 51 (43.2) | 57 (50.4) | 0.031 |
| Isolate the infected individual (animal or human) | 36 (12.4) | 11 (9.3) | 5 (4.4) | 0.055 |
| Avoid raw milk consumption | 21 (7.2) | 38 (32.2) | 52 (46) | < 0.001 |
| Vaccine | 19 (6.5) | 3 (2.5) | 1 (0.9) | 0.025 |
| Avoid raw meat consumption | 6 (2.1) | 7 (5.9) | 19 (16.8) | < 0.001 |
| Animal testing | 2 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 2 (1.8) | 0.296 |
| I do not know | 115 (39.5) | 29 (24.6) | 27 (23.9) | 0.001 |
| How can brucellosis be prevented in animals? | ||||
| Isolation of infected animals | 82 (28.2) | 33 (28) | 23 (20.4) | 0.253 |
| Vaccination | 60 (20.6) | 18 (15.3) | 20 (17.7) | 0.429 |
| Regular visits to the veterinarian | 15 (5.2) | 6 (5.1) | 2 (1.8) | 0.175 |
| Good hygiene | 11 (3.8) | 12 (10.2) | 7 (6.2) | 0.041 |
| I do not know | 88 (30.2) | 29 (24.6) | 5 (4.4) | < 0.001 |
Data are presented as n (%).