The sensitivity of the standard agglutination test (SAT) for detecting brucellosis was determined in 264 Israeli patients from whom a positive blood culture for Brucella melitensis and serology were obtained within±1 week. A SAT titer ≥1:160 had a diagnostic sensitivity of 91.7%, whereas raising the cutoff to ≥1:320, as recommended to decrease false-positive rates in endemic areas, reduced the sensitivity to 82.6%. Physicians working in regions endemic for brucellosis should be aware of the limitations of the SAT for detecting patients with the disease.
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