Introduction: Brucellosis in Egypt is an endemic disease among animals and
humans. In endemic developing countries, dairy products produced from
untreated milk are a potential threat to public health. The aim of this study
was to detect brucellae in milk and milk products produced from apparently
healthy animals to estimate the prevalence of contamination. Methodology: Two
hundred and fifteen unpasteurized milk samples were collected from apparently
healthy cattle (n = 72) and buffaloes (n = 128) reared on small farms, and
from milk shops (n = 15) producing dairy products for human consumption. All
milk samples were examined by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(iELISA) and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) to detect Brucella antibodies and
Brucella-specific DNA, respectively. Results: Using iELISA, anti-Brucella
antibodies were detected in 34 samples (16%), while RT-PCR amplified Brucella-
specific DNA from 17 milk samples (7.9%). Species-specific IS711 RT-PCR
identified 16 of the RT-PCR-positive samples as containing B. melitensis DNA;
1 RT-PCR-positive sample was identified as containing B. abortus DNA.
Conclusions: The detection of Brucella DNA in milk or milk products sold for
human consumption, especially the highly pathogenic species B. melitensis, is
of obvious concern. The shedding of Brucella spp. in milk poses an increasing
threat to consumers in Egypt. Consumption of dairy products produced from non-
pasteurized milk by individual farmers operating under poor hygienic
conditions represents an unacceptable risk to public health