{"id":686416,"date":"2025-08-21T22:15:27","date_gmt":"2025-08-21T19:15:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T22:15:27","modified_gmt":"2025-08-21T19:15:27","slug":"millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions of malaria diagnoses may actually be brucellosis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e7774663a7\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3e7774663a7\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis\/#A_life-altering_disease\" >A life-altering disease<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis\/#Refining_the_numbers\" >Refining the numbers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/millions-of-malaria-diagnoses-may-actually-be-brucellosis\/#A_real-world_impact\" >A real-world impact<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/millions-of-malaria-di.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/millions-of-malaria-di.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Drs. Angela Arenas and Christopher Laine visit a local farm in Bafoussam, Cameroon, to learn about pastoral ranching practices and assess available resources and facilities with the goal of supporting sustainable livestock management and improving the livelihoods of local farming communities. Credit: Texas A&amp;M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/millions-of-malaria-di.jpg\" alt=\"Millions of malaria diagnoses may actually be brucellosis\" title=\"Drs. Angela Arenas and Christopher Laine visit a local farm in Bafoussam, Cameroon, to learn about pastoral ranching practices and assess available resources and facilities with the goal of supporting sustainable livestock management and improving the livelihoods of local farming communities. Credit: Texas A&amp;M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Drs. Angela Arenas and Christopher Laine visit a local farm in Bafoussam, Cameroon, to learn about pastoral ranching practices and assess available resources and facilities with the goal of supporting sustainable livestock management and improving the livelihoods of local farming communities. Credit: Texas A&amp;M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science<\/a>s<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Brucellosis is a serious and often neglected disease endemic to many low- and middle-income countries around the world. Because it shares many of the same clinical symptoms as malaria\u2014including fever and joint pain\u2014it can be misdiagnosed.<\/p>\n<p>Until recently, scientists did not know how often brucellosis was mistaken for malaria or other febrile illnesses, but new research from the Texas A&amp;M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has discovered that as many as 7 million people worldwide may receive a misdiagnosis each year\u2014vastly increasing the number of people estimated to have the disease.<\/p>\n<p>The research is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s12889-025-22665-9\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> in the journal <i>BMC Public Health<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>If a patient is misdiagnosed with malaria, any treatment they receive will be ineffective because the two diseases have different causes\u2014malaria is caused by parasites spread through mosquitoes, while brucellosis is caused by bacteria spread through animals.<\/p>\n<p>This not only means that millions of individuals are suffering without proper treatment, but also that most affected countries&#8217; doctors, veterinarians and policymakers lack awareness of the disease&#8217;s characteristics and prevalence.<\/p>\n<p>The VMBS research team, led by associate professor Dr. Angela Arenas, is now focused on providing information about the disease to educate these health professionals and leaders as well as community members in several countries.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_life-altering_disease\"><\/span>A life-altering disease<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Brucellosis spreads to people from major livestock species, including cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats, as well as through consumption of unpasteurized dairy products.<\/p>\n<p>If the disease is not treated early, it becomes a chronic condition that can lead to neurological issues, cardiovascular issues, and potentially death.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We call it a neglected disease because it&#8217;s underdiagnosed and there&#8217;s not enough funding to address it,&#8221; Arenas said. &#8220;Veterinarians and physicians don&#8217;t know about the disease, so they don&#8217;t know what to look for or how to diagnose it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brucellosis symptoms can mimic malaria, typhoid, or even food poisoning, leading many people to get misdiagnosed multiple times before finally receiving the correct treatment, if they ever do.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;One of the major issues is that malaria is such a prevalent disease in many of these countries; it has hundreds of millions of cases per year,&#8221; said Dr. Christopher Laine, an assistant research scientist and epidemiologist in Arenas&#8217;s lab. &#8220;It&#8217;s very easy for brucellosis to get lost in that mix. But if just a small fraction of those diagnosed with malaria actually have brucellosis, you increase the incidence by millions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Refining_the_numbers\"><\/span>Refining the numbers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Arenas&#8217;s team has visited several countries affected by brucellosis over the years, including Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa and Armenia.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers collaborated with Dr. Valen Johnson, a Distinguished Professor in Texas A&amp;M&#8217;s Department of Statistics and former dean of the College of Science, to develop statistical models that predict brucellosis incidence based on proven rates in similar countries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For example, Kenya had information from before they prioritized the disease\u2014when there was no brucellosis diagnosis\u2014and then after they prioritized it,&#8221; Laine said. &#8220;Overall, these countries found that 4\u201311% of their malaria cases were actually brucellosis. We took brucellosis rates from places like that and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lied them to places that were very similar.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>When developing their final estimates, the team determined that there was likely a .25\u20134% increase to the global incidence rate of brucellosis\u2014which would escalate the number of affected individuals by 2.1 million to 7 million people worldwide.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We wanted to be very conservative in our estimates while still showing physicians out there that they need to start paying attention to brucellosis,&#8221; Laine said. &#8220;Because, even if they&#8217;re only wrong once out of 400 times, that still equals millions of cases overall.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_real-world_impact\"><\/span>A real-world impact<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While the team is continuing its research\u2014including studying bacteria prevalence in raw milk and testing individuals it suspects to be misdiagnosed\u2014it will also continue its education and outreach missions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re focused not only on finding the problem but also telling the policymakers and stakeholders what to do next,&#8221; Arenas said. &#8220;We need to create awareness among them that the brucellosis problem is huge compared to what they were thinking.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The team works with small-scale farmers, professors, physicians and public health personnel in affected countries to educate them about the disease&#8217;s symptoms and how it spreads. Veterinarians also play a major role in controlling the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If we control the disease in animals, we control the disease in humans,&#8221; Arenas said.<\/p>\n<p>The team is also providing new training opportunities for the next generation of researchers in affected countries who are hoping to dedicate their careers to fighting brucellosis and similar diseases.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Right now, our team has three Ph.D. students from Cameroon who got all their degrees in Africa but came here to get trained,&#8221; Arenas said. &#8220;We&#8217;re focused on sustainability and empowering these individuals so that once we leave their countries, they can fight the disease themselves.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Brucellosis also holds importance for currently unaffected countries like the U.S. because of how quickly it spreads and its potential use as a bioweapon.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If we are not prepared and we don&#8217;t have all the international stakeholders aware of and creating countermeasures to prevent, detect and control the disease, it could have a huge societal impact at the global level,&#8221; Arenas said. &#8220;It&#8217;s very important to control it there so it doesn&#8217;t come back here, either naturally or in a nefarious manner.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n                                                    Christopher G. Laine et al, Malaria misdiagnosis substantially contributes to the underestimation of global human brucellosis incidence, <i>BMC Public Health<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1186\/s12889-025-22665-9\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1186\/s12889-025-22665-9<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTexas A&amp;M University<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"http:\/\/www.tamu.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Millions of malaria diagnoses may actually be brucellosis (2025, August 21)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 21 August 2025<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-08-millions-malaria-brucellosis.html\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>\n                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n                                            <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/news\/2025-08-millions-malaria-brucellosis.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drs. Angela Arenas and Christopher Laine visit a local farm in Bafoussam, Cameroon, to learn about pastoral ranching practices and assess available resources and facilities with the goal of supporting sustainable livestock management and improving the livelihoods of local farming communities. Credit: Texas A&amp;M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Brucellosis is a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":686417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/millions-of-malaria-di.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-686416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=686416"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686416\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/686417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=686416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=686416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=686416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}