What is Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a disease that is spread to humans through contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. It is most commonly spread by:
- Eating or drinking unpasteurized milk, cheese, and other dairy products. Pasteurization is the process of heating and quickly cooling milk to kill bacteria.
- Eating meat that has not been cooked long enough.
Brucellosis can usually be treated. However, the infection can lead to inflammation of the heart (endocarditis) or linings of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). For some people, brucellosis can become a long-lasting (chronic) disease.
What are the causes?
Brucellosis is caused by a bacterium of the genus Brucella. Humans become infected when they come into contact with animals or eat or drink animal products that are infected or contaminated with these bacteria. Animals that can carry the bacteria include:
- Sheep.
- Goats.
- Cattle.
- Deer.
- Elk.
- Pigs.
- Dogs.
The bacteria can also enter the body:
- Through a wound.
- By breathing the bacteria in.
- Through breastfeeding. An infected mother can pass the bacteria to her child.
- Through sex with an infected person.
- Through a blood transfusion or bone marrow transplant from an infected person.
What increases the risk?
This condition is more likely to develop in:
- People who work with animals, such as veterinarians.
- People who work with meat, such as at a meat packing plant.
- People who hunt.
- People who work in a lab.
- People who live in or travel to countries where pasteurization is not as common and animal slaughter laws are not as regulated.
What are the signs or symptoms?
Symptoms typically begin 1–3 weeks after you are exposed to the bacteria. Many infected people do not feel sick at all. Fever is the most common symptom. When other symptoms occur, they may include:
- Sweating.
- Headache.
- Back pain.
- Weakness and fatigue.
- Chills.
- Joint pain.
- Muscle pain.
- Depression.
- Lack of interest in food.
How is this diagnosed?
This condition is diagnosed with a medical history and physical. Tests will also be done to check for the bacteria. This may include:
- Stool sample.
- Blood tests.
- Tests on the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord (cerebrospinal fluid).
- Bone marrow sample test.
Other testing may be done to check for liver damage, since this is a commonly infected organ. Your health care provider may also use imaging tests to check for complications. This may include X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans.
How is this treated?
This condition is treated with antibiotic medicine. If the disease returns, you will need further treatment.
Follow these instructions at home:
- Take your antibiotic medicine as told by your health care provider. Do notstop taking the antibiotic even if you start to feel better.
- Keep all follow-up visits as told by your health care provider. This is important.
How is this prevented?
- Do noteat or drink unpasteurized milk, cheese, ice cream, or other dairy products while traveling. If you are not sure whether a dairy product is pasteurized, do noteat it.
- Do not eat undercooked meat while traveling.
- Hunters, slaughterhouse workers, and veterinarians should wear rubber gloves, aprons, and goggles when handling sick or dead animals.
- People with a weakened defense (immune) system should not handle animals that are possibly infected with the Brucellabacteria.
Contact a health care provider if:
- Your symptoms do not go away after 1–2 months.
- Your symptoms go away and then return.
- You have a fever.
- You have chronic weakness or fatigue.
- You have aches or pains that do not go away.
Get help right away if:
- You develop a stiff neck.
- You develop confusion.
- You develop a rash.
- You have trouble breathing.
- You have chest pain.
