Brucellosis Undulant Fever

What is brucellosis and How does brucellosis affect Who should I contact, if I what causes it? my animal? suspect brucellosis? Brucellosis is an infectious disease Brucellosis causes reproductive In Animals – Contact your caused by bacteria called Brucella problems (e.g. abortions, stillbirth, veterinarian immediately. (bru-CELL-a). Many different animal infertility) in most species of animals. In Humans – Contact your species and humans can become ill. Other signs can include arthritis in physician immediately. Brucellosis is primarily a reproductive cows and pigs, mastitis and lameness How can I protect my disease in animals, but it can also in goats, and oozing skin lesions in cause reoccurring fevers, arthritis or horses (“fistulous withers”). animals from brucellosis? udder infection (mastitis). Brucella can survive for months Can I get brucellosis? in the environment under optimum What animals get Yes. People can become infected conditions but can be destroyed brucellosis? by eating or drinking (oral) raw milk by heat and some disinfectants. Brucellosis can affect sheep, or unpasteurized milk products that Thoroughly clean and disinfect areas goats, cattle, pigs, horses, and dogs. contain the Brucella bacteria. Direct exposed to infected animals, their Brucellosis can also affect rats and contact or aerosol exposure to urine, blood, milk, or discharges. Keep wild animals including deer, bison, infected animal fluids are additional sick animals away from other animals elk, moose, camels, water buffalo, and ways to be infected. People who work to avoid spreading the disease. marine mammals. with animals (e.g., livestock producers, In the United States, a vaccination veterinarians) may be at higher risk of program is used to control brucellosis How can my animal get exposure to Brucella. in cattle. Control programs exist for brucellosis? Infection in people causes flu-like wildlife (bison and elk) in Yellowstone In animals, Brucella are usually signs (fever, night sweats, headaches, National Park. spread through contact with infected back pain). Arthritis (joint pain) and birthing tissues and fluids (e.g., re-occurring fevers may occur with How can I protect myself placenta, aborted fetuses, fetal fluids, long term infection. Rarely, cases of from brucellosis? vaginal discharges). The bacteria can brucellosis can involve the nervous Do not eat or drink raw milk or also be found in the milk, blood, urine system, eyes, or heart. unpasteurized dairy products. Wear and semen of infected animals. protective clothing (gloves, masks) Animals can get the bacteria by when handling reproductive tissues ingestion (oral), direct contact (assisting delivery of newborn with mucous membranes (eyes, animals). Always wash your hands nose, mouth), or breaks in the skin. after touching animals. Brucella can also be transmitted by For More Information contaminated objects (fomites) such as, equipment, clothing, shoes, hay, CFSPH Technical Fact Sheets. Brucellosis feed or water. at http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/ Some animals are carriers; they will DiseaseInfo/ have the bacteria but show no signs CDC website. Brucellosis at http://www. of illness. These animals can shed cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/ the bacteria into the environment for Brucellosis brucellosis_g.htm long periods of time, infecting other is a bacterial disease that USDA-APHIS-VS. Brucellosis at http:// animals in the herd. can affect many animals www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahps/ and humans. brucellosis/ Photo from USDA ARS Photo Gallery