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.
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. One form of the illness may also cause long-lasting symptoms, including recurrent fevers, joint pain, and fatigue.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Of the 4 Brucella species known to cause disease in humans (B abortus, B melitensis, B canis, B suis), B melitensis is thought to be the most virulent and causes the most severe and acute cases of brucellosis; it is also the most prevalent worldwide.
Generally, the antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin are recommended in combination for a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
Sexual transmission of brucellosis has rarely been reported in humans. We describe 2 cases of probable sexual transmission of Brucella from husband to wife.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Disinfectants with bleach, at least 70 percent ethanol, iodine/alcohol solutions, glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde will effectively kill the bacteria.
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.
CDC utilizes a test called the Brucella microagglutination test (BMAT), a modified version of the serum (tube) agglutination test (SAT), that can detect antibodies to Brucella species – abortus, melitensis or suis.
Except for possible cases of transmission after blood transfusion, parenteral drug use and bone marrow transplant (1), brucellosis is still considered not to be transmissible from person to person via close contact (2).
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.