Brucellosis Fact Sheet

Cause:

Brucella spp. (including B. abortus, B. canis, B. meletensis, B. suis)

Occurrence in Animals:

B. abortus (cattle, buffalo), B. canis (dogs), B. meletensis (goats), B. suis (pigs, less commonly rodent, horses, dogs etc)

Source of Infection in Animals:

blood, urine, vaginal discharges, placenta, aborted fetuses

Transmission:

Ingestion of unpasteurized milk or cheese, direct contact of wounds or mucous membranes with placental tissues, vaginal secretions, blood, urine etc., inhalation of aerosolized organisms.

Common Laboratory Infection!

Observable Signs of Infection:

Animals:

• Abortion, orchitis (testicular infection) and epididymitis, arthritis, osteomyelitis.

Humans:

• Flu-like symptoms (e.g., vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, muscle aches, chills, weakness).
  
• Recurrent fevers, extreme fatigue, arthritis.
  
• Occasionally abortion and testicular inflammation, and endocarditis.

Precautions:

• Good personal hygiene
  • WASH HANDS after handling animals or being in their environment
  • No eating, drinking, smoking, etc., around animals or their environments

• Do not drink raw, unpasteurized milk.
• Isolation and quarantine of new animals.
• Wear gloves, mask and overalls and apply ABSL-3 protocols when working with potentially infected animals.
• If an employee works with animals infected experimentally with Brucella spp (e.g., mice) specific precautions must be adopted as determined by EHSS.
• Regular surveillance of individuals at increased risk is undertaken by EHSS.

Reference:

Handbook of Zoonoses: Identification and Prevention; Colville JL and Berryhill DL eds. Mosby. St Lois. 2007.

Additional Information:

CDC- Brucellosis
Public Health Agency of Canada- Brucella