Brucellosis is a disease, caused by bacteria, which affects many different kinds of animals – including sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, and dogs. 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.
Brucellosis typically causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, weakness, malaise and weight loss. However, the disease may present in many atypical forms. In many patients the symptoms are mild and, therefore, the diagnosis may not be considered.
Animals that are most commonly infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs, among others. Brucellosis in the U.S.
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 can also cause long-lasting or chronic symptoms such as recurrent fevers, joint pain, testicular swelling, heart infections, nervous system impairment, depression, and fatigue. Death from brucellosis is rare.
The symptoms of neurobrucellosis may include symptoms like headache, fever, or muscle or joint pain, along with neurologic symptoms such as confusion, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, peripheral and cranial neuropathies, and psychiatric manifestations.
Neurobrucellosis is a focal complication of brucellosis affecting both central and peripheral nervous system presenting varieties of signs and symptoms. The most reported manifestations are meningitis and meningoencephalitis. It is a rare presentation of brucellosis.
Brucellosis is caused by Brucella species, which are gram-negative bacteria. Symptoms begin as an acute febrile illness with few or no localized signs and may progress to a chronic stage with relapses of fever, weakness, sweats, and vague aches and pains. Diagnosis is by culture, usually from the blood.
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.
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.
Depending on the timing of treatment and severity of illness, recovery may take a few weeks to several months. 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.
Clinical Presentation
Focal infections are common and can affect most organs in the body. Osteoarticular involvement is the most common brucellosis complication, as is reproductive system involvement. Although rare, endocarditis can occur and is the principal cause of death among patients with brucellosis.
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.
Neurobrucellosis occurs in 5%–10% of patients with brucellosis (4). The most frequent clinical manifestation is meningoencephalitis (5). Mass lesions in the brain are uncommon (4).
Localized brucellosis causes inflammation of affected organs including the bones, skin, liver, genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts, central nervous system and heart.
In most severe cases, Brucella will infect both the vertebral body and the intervertebral disc, resulting in a spondylodiscitis.
Neurologic changes have been detected in 3–5% of patients with brucellosis [1, 2]. The most common clinical manifestations of neurobrucellosis are fever, headache, and muscle rigidity. In addition, mental and motor sensory disorders may also occur.
brucellosis spondylitis, arthritis of the spine caused by infection with the bacterium Brucella, which spreads from animals to people, typically via consumption of raw or unpasteurized dairy products. Brucellosis spondylitis is a complication of brucellosis.
Brucellosis may be considered as a cause of clinical or subclinical peripheral neuropathy and should be evaluated especially in endemic areas.
It is a contagious, costly disease of ruminant (E.g. cattle, bison and cervids) animals that also affects humans. Although brucellosis can attack other animals, its main threat is to cattle, bison, cervids (E.g. elk and deer), and swine.
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.
(1) Doxycycline, rifampicin, and third-generation cephalosporins should be considered both standard and first-choice medications for neurobrucellosis. Treatment should last for at least 6 weeks.