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Brucellosis is a major threat to public health especially in developing countries including Pakistan. This study reveals the characterisation of Brucella species affecting humans and goats in the Swat region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Blood samples were collected from shepherds and goats and analysed by Rose Bengal precipitation test (RBPT), standard plate agglutination test (SPAT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. The findings of the study indicated 24% (36/150) and 11.3% (17/150) positivity for Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis, respectively, in human samples. In samples of goats, 26.66% (40/150) were positive for B. abortus and 16.66% (25/150) samples were positive B. melitensis by SPAT. The species-specific PCR confirmed B. abortus in 24% (36/150) of human samples and 26.66% (17/150) of goat samples by targeting the IS711 locus. The remaining seropositive samples were confirmed as B. melitensis using IS711 M species-specific primer. The sequences of the amplified fragments of the 16S rRNA gene were blasted, and phylogenetic analysis revealed that Brucella species circulating in the Swat district were closely related to B. melitensis and B. abortus reported from India, China, Philippines, and the United States (US) showing the existence of the possible epidemiological linkage among the Brucella species. This study concluded that there was a higher prevalence of B. abortus (26.6%) in humans and goats compared to B. melitensis (16.6%). These results revealed that the Brucella species were circulating in both humans and goats in the study areas. The findings of the study concluded that B. abortus and B. melitensis were circulating in goats and shepherds with a higher prevalence of B. abortus than B. melitensis. Furthermore, the Brucella species identified in Swat were phylogenetically related to the Brucella species reported from India, China, Philippines and the US.Contribution: The proposed study covers the scope of the journal. The species of the genus Brucella affect both animals and shepherds. This study investigates the seroprevalence of brucellosis in shepherds and goats in different geographical areas in the Swat district. The phylogenetic analysis of the Brucella spp. identified in Swat showed close relationships to the Brucella species reported in India, China, Philippines and the US, which shows the possible epidemiological linkages between the Brucella spp.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection may be associated with numerous extrahepatic manifestations, such as mixed cryoglobulinaemia, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, sicca syndrome. Cryoglobulinaemia (CG) is a condition characterized by the presence of serum proteins that reversibly precipitate in the cold. The objective of the present work was to study the histopathological changes in neuromuscular biopsies in patients with HCV associated peripheral neuropathy, or myopathy; with and without cryoglobulinemia, and to assess the presence of HCV in nerve and muscle tissues of those patients which might clarify some pathogenetic mechanisms for neuropathy, and myopathy associated with HCV., Methods: The study was conducted on 17 cases of HCV infected patients with peripheral neuropathy and myositis. All patients were subjected to thorough laboratory investigations, neurological examination, electrophysiologic studies including nerve conduction, and needle EMG studies., Results: Histopathological examination of nerve biopsies showed features of vascultis in 2/10 cases, interstitial inflammatory infiltrates in 5/10. Muscle biopsies showed intense inflammatory reaction, degenerative changes in the muscles of 3/10 cases diagnosed as myositis. Immunohistochemical results, showed in nerve biopsies, 7/10 cases with positive reaction for HCV with nuclear and perinuclear staining.. Two patients showed positive reaction in the epineural, and endoneural blood vessels and a negative reaction in nerve bundles, while in five patients, reaction was only positive in the nerve bundles. In muscle biopsies, 7/10 cases showed positive reaction for HCV in the nuclei of the muscle fibers, including the cases presented with myositis., Conclusion: The presence of HCV particles in nerve and muscle biopsies of patients with peripheral neuropathy suggests a virus triggered immune mediated mechanism.