Brucellosis - Symptoms & Treatment

Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella. These bacteria are primarily passed among animals.They cause disease in many different vertebrates. Brucellosis is not very common in the United States, where100 to 200 cases occur each year. Brucella species affect sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, pigs, dogs, and several other animals. 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 can also cause long-lasting or chronic symptoms that include recurrent fevers, joint pain, and fatigue. Humans are generally infected in one of three ways: eating or drinking something that is contaminated with Brucella, breathing in the organism (inhalation), or having the bacteria enter the body through skin wounds. Direct person-to-person spread of brucellosis is extremely rare. Mothers who are breast-feeding may transmit the infection to their infants. Sexual transmission has also been reported.

Brucellae are transported into the lymphatic system and may replicate there locally; they also may replicate in the kidney, liver, spleen, breast tissue, or joints, causing both localized and systemic infection. Brucella abortus, and Brucella suis have been completely sequenced, which will help improve our understanding of the complex pathogenesis and the diverse manifestations of this complex disease. B abortus is associated with mild-to-moderate sporadic disease that is rarely associated with complications. B canis infection has a disease course that is indistinguishable from B abortus infection. B canis infection has an insidious onset, causes frequent relapses, and does not commonly cause chronic disease. B pinnipediae and B cetaceae are distinctive strains that affect marine animals; these strains were recently described to cause disease in humans, mainly neurobrucellosis.

Causes of Brucellosis

Common causes of Brucellosis

• Bacteria(Brucella).
• Sexual transmission.
• Breast-feeding transmission.
• Unpasteurized milk.

Symptoms of Brucellosis

Common Symptoms of Brucellosis

• Irregular fever
• Headache.
• Weakness.
• Profuse sweating.
• Chills.
• Weight loss.
• Generalized aching.
• Fever.
• Chills.
• Fatigue.
• Loss of appetite.
• Joint pain.

Treatment of Brucellosis

Common Treatment of Brucellosis

• Doxycycline and rifampin are used in combination for 6 weeks to prevent reoccuring infection.
• Antibiotics like tetracyclins , rifampicin and the aminoglycosides streptomycin and gentamicin are effective against Brucella bacteria.
• Many other drugs have good in vitro activity against Brucella. The best-studied are fluoroquinolones, which are shown to be effective in combination therapy with rifampin (not as a monotherapy). Studies have shown that the combination of ciprofloxacin and rifampin is as effective as doxycycline with rifampin and carries the same risk of relapse.
• The gold standard treatment for adults is daily intramuscular injections of streptomycin 1 g for 14 days and oral doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 45 days (concurrently).
• Gentamicin 5 mg/kg by intramuscular injection once daily for 7 days is an acceptable substitute when streptomycin is not available or difficult to obtain

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