en Microbial pathogenesis Microbial pathogenesis Original article Original article <strong>Introduction:</strong> Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the members of the genus <em>Brucella</em>. This bacterium is transmitted to humans through exposure to infected animals or via consumption of contaminated dairy products. Cultivation of the bacteria or amplification of its DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are conventional diagnostic approaches for definitive identification of<em> Brucella </em>in raw milk. <strong>Method:</strong> We collected 530 milk samples from 485 healthy animals, and 45 animals with a history of abortion from&nbsp;Kerman province, southeast Iran. The specimens were first cultured in Eugon broth and then were subcultured on <em>Brucella </em>agar. Gram smears from colonies for characterization of the bacteria were prepared. Also, DNA extraction and PCR amplification of IS711 fragment were performed to detect <em>Brucella </em>DNA in the milk samples. <strong>Results:</strong> The culture method detected <em>Brucella</em> Spp. in 10 milk samples including two samples from apparently healthy animals (1 sheep sample, and 1 goat sample) as well as eight samples from animals with abortion history (6 sheep samples, and 2 goat samples). PCR identified <em>Brucella</em> DNA in 43 samples including those from healthy sheep (n=4) and goats (n=9), as well as animals milk with abortion history (7 sheep, and 23 goats). The proportion of positive samples detected by PCR method was significantly higher than culture method (<em>P</em>=0.014). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The PCR assay turned to be a convenient method for detection of <em>Brucella</em> contamination of raw milk and can be used as a reliable tool for surveillance and screening of contaminated milk. Brucella, PCR, Culture, Goat, Sheep. 40 42 http://jommid.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-155-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Zahra Shirazi dr.shirazi.mail@gmail.com No Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran Mohammad Khalili mdkhalili1@yahoo.com No Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Iran Balal Sadeghi sadeghi.balal@gmail.com 0000-0002-9008-7618 Yes Department of Food Hygiene and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Hamid Sharifi sharifihami@gmail.com 0000-0002-9008-7618 No HIV/STI Surveillance Research Center, and WHO Collaborating Center for HIV Surveillance, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran ShahrnazBanuo Ashrafganjooyi sharifihami@gmail.com No Research Center for Tropical and Infectious Disease, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran