There are two popular vaccines against animal brucellosis. Live attenuated
Bovine brucellosis (B. abortus) was eradicated from the Australian cattle herd in 1989 and is presently considered an exotic animal disease in Australia.
The most widely used vaccine for the prevention of brucellosis in cattle is the Brucella abortus S19 vaccine, which remains the reference vaccine to which any other vaccines are compared.
Unfortunately, there are no vaccines available for brucellosis. The best way to keep the disease out of your kennel is to make sure you test all new dogs before they enter your property.
There is no danger from eating cooked products as normal cooking temperatures kill the disease-causing bacteria. Contact with reproductive discharges from infected animals may spread the disease to livestock workers.
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.
Brucellosis is endemic in some nondomesticated bison and elk herds in the US. Transmission of B abortus to domestic cattle herds is rare but has occurred in several cattle herds commingling with infected elk in the greater Yellowstone Park area.
There are two popular vaccines against animal brucellosis. Live attenuated Brucella abortus strain 19 (S19 vaccine) is the first effective and most extensively used vaccine for the prevention of brucellosis in cattle.
Brucella abortus vaccines play a central role in bovine brucellosis control/eradication programs and have been successfully used worldwide for decades. Strain 19 and RB51 are the approved B. abortus vaccines strains most commonly used to protect cattle against infection and abortion.
The most common ways that bacteria spread from animals to people are by: Eating raw dairy products. Brucella bacteria in the milk of infected animals can spread to humans in unpasteurized milk, ice cream, butter and cheeses. The bacteria can also be transmitted in raw or undercooked meat of infected animals.
Males are not vaccinated because of the potential complication of orchitis (Olsen & Palmer 2014) and the limited role they play in transmission (Olsen & Tatum 2010). Humans who work with these animals or consume their milk and meat are indirectly protected through the vaccination of cattle (Corbel 2006; Godfroid et al.
Brucellosis affects males and females in equal numbers. The disorder is rare in the United States since pasteurization of milk is routine and cattle are vaccinated against this disease.
The most effective prevention strategy is the elimination of infection in animals. Vaccination of cattle, goats and sheep is recommended in enzootic areas with high prevalence rates. Serological or other testing and culling can also be effective in areas with low prevalence.
This is a serious zoonotic disease causing illness in people. Brucella abortus no longer occurs in Australia as a result of a national eradication program between 1970 and 1989. Brucella ovis infection causes disease and infertility in sheep, but does not affect people.
Australia is free of Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis and Brucella canis. Bovine brucellosis is caused by Brucella abortus and was eradicated from Australia in 1989 as a result of a national eradication program.
Australia successfully eradicated contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in 1973, bovine brucellosis in 1989 and bovine tuberculosis in 1997.
Budget for vaccine allocation: It was estimated that the Brucella vaccine would cost US$ 0.10 per dose, and the total number of small ruminants requiring vaccination was 1,000,000 (according to the most recent annual report of Dohuk Veterinary Hospital). Thus, the total estimated budget for vaccine cost = US$ 100,000.
Can brucellosis be prevented? There is no vaccine available for brucellosis. However, you can reduce your risk if you avoid eating or drinking unpasteurized milk, cheese and ice cream when you travel. Hunters should wear rubber gloves when handling the internal organs of animals.
Control of Brucellosis can be achieved by a once-in-a-lifetime vaccination of female bovine calves (4–8 months old).
Brucellosis is an uncommon infection in horses. Two strains of the bacteria, namely Brucella abortus(bovine) and Brucella suis (porcine), are responsible for equine infections. Infection is thought to be caused by direct contact with infected cattle or by ingesting contaminated feed.
Two-drug regimen consisting of streptomycin and doxycycline (streptomycin for 2 to 3 weeks and doxycycline for 8 weeks) or gentamicin plus doxycycline (gentamicin for 5-7 days and doxycycline for 8 weeks) should be recommended as the treatment of choice for uncomplicated brucellosis.
Brucellosis, as a zoonotic disease, mainly occurs in horses by Brucella abortus, Brucella canis and Brucella suis. The disease in equines is often asymptomatic, but the clinical signs in horses are mostly characterized by bursitis, arthritis and tenosynovitis.
The organism is shed in the milk, fetal membranes, and uterine discharges. Thus brucellosis can be both an occupational (veterinarians, farmers) or a foodborne disease. Lethality: Brucellosis has a very low mortality rate, less than 5% of untreated cases, with most deaths caused by endocarditis or meningitis.
The bacteria that causes the disease, Brucella abortus, can be transmitted between animals if they come into contact with infected birth tissues.
Brucellosis as a Cause of Abortion in Cattle
The organisms enter via mucous membranes and invade the udder, lymph nodes, and uterus, causing a placentitis, which may be acute or chronic. Abortion or stillbirth occurs 2 weeks to 5 months after initial infection.