Expression of IL1β Gene in the Placentas from Humans and Cows during Brucella Infection

Brucellosis is an important contagious disease affecting most domestic and mature animals. Since the impact of IL-1β in B. abortus invasion and survival remains elusive, the current study sought to elucidate the actual roles of these potent cytokines in the modulation of the initial immune response to Brucella infection. Therefore, this study aimed to detect Brucella abortus in the placenta of aborted women and cows and estimate the expression of the interleukin 1β (IL1β) gene associated with immune response mechanisms to Brucella abortus infection. The detection of Brucella abortus was performed by Rose Bengal Test (RBT) and Polymerase Chain Reaction based AlkB gene (AlkB-PCR) in the sera and placenta samples of aborted women and cows, respectively. The overall percentage of Brucella abortus infection was 13.1% and 5% as determined by RBT and AlkB-PCR in aborted women’s sera and placentas, respectively. On the other hand, the overall percentage rates of Brucella abortus infection in the sera and placentas from aborted cows were 30% and 11% as estimated by RBT and AlkB-PCR, respectively. The results of RBT demonstrated that the association between Brucella abortus and abortion in cows was statistically significant. On the other hand, it was found that the association between Brucella abortus and abortion in women was not significant. Moreover, according to the results of AlkB-based PCR, the association between Brucella abortus and abortion was statistically significant in aborted cows, while it was not significant in aborted women. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of RBT were calculated as 60.00, 53.85, and 54.55%, respectively. Moreover, positive and negative predictive values were reported as 14.33% and 91.28%, respectively. Regarding RBT for aborted cows, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the test were 81.82%, 57.78%, and 62.49%, respectively. The positive predictive value was reported as 32.08%, while the negative predictive value was reported as 92.88%. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was carried out for the evaluation of Interleukin 1 Beta (IL1β) gene expression. The qPCR result was presented as a fold change in gene expression. A significant increment of IL1β gene expression was observed in aborted women (114.905±99.661) and cows (22.454 ±18.528), compared to non-aborted women (4.953±5.564) and cows (2.033±1.845). Statistical comparison of IL1β gene expression between aborted women and cows illustrated a non-significant increment in IL1β gene expression in aborted women (114.905±99.661), compared to aborted cows (22.454 ±18.528).