Brucellosis

Brucellosis

• Brucellosis is a disease caused by a group of bacteria known as Brucella, which can affect humans and animals both.
• The bacteria usually make their way inside the body via contaminated food, such as raw meat or unpasteurized milk.
• It can also spread by touching open wounds or by the air.
• The disease is rare, with just around 140 people getting it in the US annually, with people with exposure to raw food, such as butchers, being the ones at greatest risk.
• However, it can prove to be quite dangerous even if it is rare.
• A big threat of the disease is that you can get it repeatedly over time even if you get rid of it once.
• Let’s take a look at this serious complication in detail:

Risk Factors

• Humans can get infected by the bacteria through already infected animals.
• Animals that can be infected by brucella are:

1. Sheep
2. Pigs
3. Goats
4. Dogs
5. Cattle

• The bacteria can move animals to humans through ingestion, inhalation, or contact with an open wound.
• You are at great risk of contracting the infection if you spend lots of time around animals.
• Being in contact with their blood, tissue, urine, or the placenta can be probable causes of brucellosis.
• Drinking unpasteurized milk or eating cheese made from it is the other prominent cause of brucellosis.
• The disease is more common in Africa, Asia, and some parts of Europe, and drinking milk from such places can put you at risk.
• Infecting other people is rare but can happen through breastfeeding and sex.

Symptoms

• Symptoms caused by brucellosis in humans are similar to those caused by flu.
• They commonly include:

1. Back pain
2. Lethargy
3. Chills
4. Appetite loss
5. Pain in the joints
6. Pain in the abdomen
7. Headaches
8. A fever that comes and goes
9. Weight loss

Diagnosis

• A doctor might check for brucellosis if you are exhibiting unexplained flu-like symptoms.
• The usual tests include:

1. Urine culture
2. Cerebrospinal fluid tests
3. Blood culture
4. Bone marrow culture
5. Tests for antibodies to brucellosis

• You need to tell your doctor about any exposure to animals with brucellosis if you have flu-like symptoms that the doctor cannot diagnose.
• You need to mention the exposure even if it occurred weeks or a couple of months ago.
• Symptoms can take anywhere between a week to two months to appear.

Treatment

• Brucellosis is usually treatable with a course of antibiotics.
• A doctor might prescribe doxycycline or rifampin.
• You would need to take these antibiotics for at least 6 weeks.