Laboratory confirmation requires at least one of the following:

• isolation of Brucella species or detection of Brucella nucleic acid from a clinical specimen
• a fourfold or greater rise in Brucella antibody titre (by SAT, ELISA, Coombs, IFA), between acute and convalescent phase serum specimens (SAT slide agglutinin test). Consider the possibility of cross-reactivity in the Brucella SAT test with antibodies in people infected with Yersinia enterocolitica, other yersiniae, cholera, tularaemia or certain serotypes of Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas.