Brucellosis may also be transmitted through semen or urine and can be shed by intact or neutered males for several years in cases of chronic infection.
Clinical Signs in Dogs
Infected male dogs may have abnormally sized testicles (swollen or shrunken). Other signs observed with canine brucellosis include infertility, anorexia, weight loss, pain, lameness, incoordination, swollen lymph nodes, and muscle weakness.
How is brucellosis spread? Dog-to-dog spread of brucellosis occurs most often through breeding and by contact with vaginal discharges, semen, birthing fluids, and urine. Contact with an infected dog's blood, milk, saliva, and feces are less common sources of infection.
In fact, although breeding dogs still remain the most likely population to encounter the disease, even spayed or neutered dogs living with or kenneled near infected dogs can pick this bacteria up and shed it because it is transmitted through body fluids.
Signs and symptoms of brucellosis may include fever, joint pain and fatigue. The infection can usually be treated with antibiotics. However, treatment takes several weeks to months, and the infection can recur.
Symptoms and Signs of Brucellosis
Onset may be sudden, with chills and fever, severe headache, joint and low back pain, malaise, and occasionally diarrhea. Or onset may be insidious, with mild prodromal malaise, muscle pain, headache, and pain in the back of the neck, followed by a rise in evening temperature.
What are the signs of brucellosis? There is no effective way to detect infected animals by their appearance. The most obvious signs in pregnant animals are abortion or birth of weak calves. Milk production may be reduced from changes in the normal lactation period caused by abortions and delayed conceptions.
Humane euthanasia of infected dogs is often recommended to prevent the spread of this disease.
Canine brucellosis is a contagious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium, Brucella canis (B. canis). This bacterial infection is highly contagious between dogs. Infected dogs usually develop an infection of the reproductive system, or a sexually transmitted disease.
I have read estimates as high as 6% of dogs in the southeastern US are affected but this percentage includes stray/feral dogs. CHF: How are the Brucella bacteria transmitted from dog to dog?
Brucellosis caused by Brucella abortus, B. suis, or B. melitensis is relatively rare in dogs. In cases that do occur, the dogs are usually around livestock, as they are the primary source of those strains of the bacteria.
Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria. People can get the disease when they are in contact with infected animals or animal products contaminated with the bacteria. Animals that are most commonly infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs, among others.
People can get brucellosis from dogs. If one of your dogs is infected, test the entire kennel. Remove infected dogs from your kennel as soon as possible: there is no cure for the disease in dogs. Canine brucellosis can spread by direct contact with tissues or fluids from infected dogs.
Doctors usually confirm a diagnosis of brucellosis by testing blood or bone marrow for the brucella bacteria or by testing blood for antibodies to the bacteria. To help detect complications of brucellosis, your doctor may order additional tests, including: X-rays. X-rays can reveal changes in your bones and joints.
Soil: Brucella is persistent in soil for up to 125 days. Decon precautions should be taken. Water: Brucella is a probable water threat because the bacteria are stable for 20-72 days Other: Brucella spp. are naturally occurring & endemic in the United States.
Brucella canis is the most common species found in dogs. It is most often transmitted through direct dog-to-dog contact via infected body fluids and tissues (e.g. vaginal discharge, aborted fetus, placenta, semen, urine).
For simple infections, doxycycline (100 mg PO twice daily for 6 weeks) may be the most appropriate monotherapy; however, relapse rates with such monotherapy approach 40% and as a result, rifampin (600-900 mg/day) is usually added.
The prognosis is generally excellent. Although initial symptoms of brucellosis may be debilitating, if they are treated appropriately and within the first few months of onset, the disease is easily curable, with a low risk of relapse or chronic disease.
However, it can also cause a disease with flu-like symptoms in humans. People with brucellosis may develop fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical weakness. In severe cases, the central nervous system and the lining of the heart may be affected.
“Bang's Disease” is a name that was given to cattle Brucellosis caused by the bacteria Brucella abor- tus. Bangs was the last name of the Danish veterinarian who first isolated Brucella abortus as the causative agent back in 1897.
Death from brucellosis is rare, occurring in no more than 2% of all cases. Generally, the antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin are recommended in combination for a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by Brucella species. It is known by many other names, including remitting fever, undulant fever, Mediterranean fever, Maltese fever, Gibraltar fever, Crimean fever, goat fever, and Bang disease.
People who work with animals and are in contact with blood, placenta, foetuses and uterine secretions have an increased risk of contracting the disease. This method of transmission primarily affects farmers, butchers, hunters, veterinarians and laboratory personnel.
Person-to-person spread of brucellosis is extremely rare. Infected mothers who are breast-feeding may transmit the infection to their infants. Sexual transmission has been rarely reported. While uncommon, transmission may also occur via tissue transplantation or blood transfusions.