Overall, three (9.38%) patients had known risk factors for tuberculosis, while six (18.75%) had risk factors for brucellosis. Conclusions: There is a clear overlap between brucellosis and tuberculosis both in terms of clinical presentation and laboratory parameters.
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.
In humans brucellosis can cause a range of symptoms that are similar to the flu and may include fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical weakness. Severe infections of the central nervous systems or lining of the heart may occur.
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.
Human cases of brucellosis are uncommon, with only 100 to 200 cases a year reported in the U.S. Although brucellosis can make you very sick, it is rarely fatal.
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that spreads from animals to people. Most commonly, people are infected by eating raw or unpasteurized dairy products. Sometimes, the bacteria that cause brucellosis can spread through the air or through direct contact with infected animals.
If brucellosis is not treated, the disease may take months to resolve once appropriate therapy is begun. Brucellosis may be confined to a certain area of the body (local) or have serious widespread complications that affect various organ systems of the body including the central nervous system.
Brucellosis can be diagnosed in a laboratory by finding bacteria in samples of blood, bone marrow or other bodily fluids. Serological tests can also be done to detect antibodies against the bacteria.
Brucellosis is found globally and is a reportable disease in most countries. It affects people of all ages and both sexes. In the general population, most cases are caused by the consumption of raw milk or its derivatives such as fresh cheese. Most of these cases are from sheep and goat products.
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.
Sexual transmission of brucellosis has rarely been reported in humans. We describe 2 cases of probable sexual transmission of Brucella from husband to wife.
Generally, the antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin are recommended in combination for a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
It was later named for British army physician David Bruce, who in 1887 first isolated and identified the causative bacteria, Brucella, from the spleen of a soldier who had died from the infection.
Brucellosis in humans is usually associated with consumption of unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses made from the milk of infected animals—primarily goats, infected with B. melitensis and with occupational exposure of laboratory workers, veterinarians, and slaughterhouse workers.
Brucellosis is an infection that can be transmitted to humans from some animals such as cows, sheep, goats and pigs. While this disease is common in many parts of the world, it is rare in Australia. Cases in NSW usually result from contact with feral pigs or from consuming unpasteurized dairy products while overseas.
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.
Your healthcare provider will treat brucellosis with a combination of at least two types of antibiotics. You'll need to take them for at least six to eight weeks. Depending on your specific case, you may need other therapies (like draining infected areas or managing complications).
Brucellosis is a reportable condition in all states and territories. Brucellosis cases must be reported to jurisdictions when identified by a healthcare provider, hospital, or laboratory.
An abnormal (positive) result usually means you have come in contact with the bacteria that causes brucellosis. However, this positive result does not mean that you have an active infection. Your provider will have you repeat the test after a few weeks to see if the test result increases.
Humans can also contract the disease when slaughtering infected animals or when processing contaminated organs from freshly-killed, brucellosis infected livestock, wildlife or feral swine.
The symptoms usually improve and are completely gone within about two to six months. However, the prognosis is poor in people who develop organ changes or complications such as heart damage, neurological, or genitourinary problems caused by chronic Brucella infection.
Lethality: Brucellosis has a very low mortality rate, less than 5% of untreated cases, with most deaths caused by endocarditis or meningitis.
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.
Since person-to-person transmission is rare, patients do not have to be held in isolation rooms. Healthcare workers should exercise standard precautions. Laboratory workers should take necessary precautions when working with Brucella species.
Disinfectants with bleach, at least 70 percent ethanol, iodine/alcohol solutions, glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde will effectively kill the bacteria.