brucellosis
Sign in to saveBrucellosis is a zoonosis (zoonotic disease) spread primarily via ingestion of unpasteurized milk from infected animals. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever.
AI overview
Brucellosis is an infectious disease that spreads to humans mainly through drinking unpasteurized milk from infected animals, and it can cause prolonged fever that comes and goes in waves. It matters because it's a preventable infection that historically affected people in certain regions, particularly around the Mediterranean, and it can be avoided by consuming only pasteurized dairy products.
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Key facts
- Medical condition (new).treatment
- antibiotics
- Medical condition (new).medication
- doxycycline, rifampicin, aminoglycosides
- Medical condition (new).complications
- central nervous system infections (meningitis, encephalitis), inflammation and infection of the spleen and liver, infection and inflammation of the epididymus and testicles (epididymo-orchitis), arthritis, inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers (endocarditis).
- Medical condition (new).causes
- Ingestion of bacteria within the genus Brucella
- Medical condition (new).diagnosis
- x-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid culture, echocardiography.
- Medical condition (new).prevention
- avoid unpasteurized dairy foods, cook meat thoroughly, wear gloves, take safety precautions in high-risk workplaces, vaccinate domestic animals.
- Medical condition (new).name
- Brucellosis
- Medical condition (new).synonyms
- undulant fever, undulating fever, Mediterranean fever, Malta fever, Cyprus fever, rock fever (Micrococcus melitensis)
- Medical condition (new).field
- Infectious disease
Article
35 sectionsContents
- Signs and symptoms
- Cause
- Wildlife reservoirs and zoonotic transmission
- Transmission through hunting and game meat consumption
- Diagnosis
- Prevention
- Livestock vaccination and disease surveillance
- Food safety and pasteurization
- Wildlife reservoirs and disease control
- Occupational safety and laboratory precautions
- Public health education and community awareness
- International disease control efforts and One Health integration
- Treatment
- Prognosis
- Epidemiology
- Argentina
- Australia
- Canada
- China
- Europe
- Malta
- Republic of Ireland
- UK
- New Zealand
- United States
- History
- Biological warfare
- Other animals
- Cattle
- Dogs
- Aquatic wildlife
- Terrestrial wildlife
- See also
- References
- Further reading
Brucellosis is a zoonosis (zoonotic disease) spread primarily via ingestion of unpasteurized milk from infected animals. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever.
The bacteria causing this disease, Brucella, are small, Gram-negative, nonmotile, nonspore-forming, rod-shaped (coccobacilli) bacteria. They function as facultative intracellular parasites, causing chronic disease, which usually persists for life. Four species infect humans: B. abortus, B. canis, B. melitensis, and B. suis. B. abortus is less virulent than B. melitensis and is primarily a disease of cattle. B. canis affects dogs. B. melitensis is the most virulent and invasive species; it usually infects goats and occasionally sheep. B. suis is of intermediate virulence and chiefly infects pigs. Symptoms include profuse sweating and joint and muscle pain. Brucellosis has been recognized in animals and humans since the early 20th century.