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Brucellosis From Mayo Clinic
Brucellosis From Mayo Clinic
Definition
Brucellosis can usually be treated successfully with antibiotics. Treatment takes several
weeks, however, and relapses are common. Avoiding unpasteurized dairy products and
taking precautions when working with animals or in a laboratory can help prevent
brucellosis. Animals can be vaccinated against the disease.
Symptoms
Fever, often rising to 104 F (40 C) or more in the afternoon — a rising and falling
(undulating) fever is one of the hallmarks of the disease
Chills
Sweats
Weakness
Fatigue
Headache
Brucellosis symptoms may disappear for weeks or months and then return. In some
people, brucellosis becomes chronic, with symptoms persisting for years, even after
treatment. Long-term signs and symptoms include fatigue, fevers, arthritis and spondylitis
— an inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine and nearby joints.
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Brucellosis Mayo Clinic
the flu. See your doctor if you develop a rapidly rising fever, muscle aches or unusual
weakness and have any risk factors for the disease, or if you have a persistent fever.
Causes
At least six species or strains of bacteria cause brucellosis in animals, but not all produce
illness in humans. The bacteria spread from animals to people in three main ways:
Raw dairy products. Brucella bacteria in the milk of infected animals can spread to
humans in unpasteurized milk, ice cream, butter and cheeses. The bacteria can also be
transmitted in raw or undercooked meat from infected animals.
Inhalation. Brucella bacteria spread easily in the air. Farmers, laboratory technicians
and slaughterhouse workers can inhale the bacteria.
Direct contact. Bacteria in the blood, semen or placenta of an infected animal can
enter your bloodstream through a cut or other wound. Because normal contact with
animals — touching, brushing or playing — doesn't cause infection, people rarely get
brucellosis from their pets. Even so, people with weakened immune systems should
avoid handling dogs known to have the disease.
Brucellosis normally doesn't spread from person to person, but in a few cases, women
have passed the disease to their infants during birth or through their breast milk. Rarely,
brucellosis may spread through sexual activity or through contaminated blood or bone
marrow transfusions.
Risk factors
Other parts of the world have much higher rates of infection, especially the Mediterranean
Basin — Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Near East and North Africa — South
and Central America, Mexico, parts of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Raw dairy foods. Because the United States has a federal domestic animal health
program, the chance of infection from U.S. dairy products is low. Unpasteurized goat
milk products imported from Mexico are the main source of brucellosis in the United
States. Travelers who eat unpasteurized dairy products in countries where brucellosis is
common are at high risk of infection. Soft goat cheeses common in Mediterranean
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Brucellosis Mayo Clinic
countries are especially likely to contain brucella bacteria. Exotic foods, such as raw
camel's milk, sheep placenta and reindeer meat, also may be contaminated. In the
United States, people who eat unpasteurized cheeses or who travel to Mexico are at risk
of getting brucellosis.
Hunting. Hunters may become infected through skin wounds or by eating the
undercooked meat of infected animals.
Laboratory work. Brucellosis is the most common bacterial infection among people
who work in laboratories where infectious organisms are grown. Lab workers may
accidentally inhale the bacteria or become infected from spilled blood.
Complications
Infection of the heart's inner lining (endocarditis). This is one of the most serious
complications of brucellosis. Untreated endocarditis can damage or destroy the heart
valves and is the leading cause of brucellosis-related deaths.
Anemia. Anemia, in which you don't have enough healthy red blood cells, can cause
pale skin, fatigue and shortness of breath.
Skin rashes. Rashes and other skin problems are a rare complication of brucellosis.
Hepatitis. Brucellosis can cause this serious liver disease, which, if not treated, can
lead to liver scarring (cirrhosis) and ultimately to liver failure.
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Brucellosis Mayo Clinic
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's
a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you
get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem
unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
Write down key personal information, including any recent travel outside the United
States, consumption of unpasteurized dairy products or other suspected exposures.
Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're
taking.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing questions ahead of time will help you
make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least
important in case time runs out.
Have you eaten raw (unpasteurized) dairy products, such as goat cheese?
Does your job involve contact with cattle, goats, pigs or other animals or with animal
tissues?
Have you traveled outside the United States in the past year?
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To help detect complications of brucellosis, you may have additional tests, including:
Cerebrospinal fluid culture. This checks a small sample of the fluid that surrounds your
brain and spinal cord for infections such as meningitis and encephalitis.
Echocardiography. This test uses sound waves to create images of your heart to check
for signs of infection or damage to your heart.
Antibiotics
The standard treatment for brucellosis is a combination of two or three antibiotic
medications, usually doxycycline in combination with streptomycin, rifampin or gentamicin.
You'll take these drugs for six weeks or longer. If brucellosis has affected your central
nervous system, you may need to take three antibiotics for as long as three months.
Children and pregnant women can't take certain antibiotics, so their treatment may involve
just one antibiotic or a different combination of drugs.
Prevention
Avoid unpasteurized dairy foods. In recent years in the United States, few cases of
brucellosis have been linked to raw dairy products from domestic herds. Still, it's probably
best to avoid unpasteurized milk, cheese and ice cream, no matter what their origin.
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Brucellosis Mayo Clinic
Travelers to other countries should avoid all raw dairy foods. If you're not sure whether a
product is pasteurized, don't take chances.
Cook meat thoroughly. All meat should be cooked until it reaches an internal
temperature of 145 to 165 F (63 to 74 C). When eating out, order beef and pork at least
medium-well. It's unlikely that domestic meat in the United States contains brucella
bacteria, but proper cooking destroys other harmful bacteria such as salmonella and E.
coli. When traveling abroad, avoid buying meat from street vendors and order all meat
well-done.
Wear gloves. Veterinarians, farmers, hunters and slaughterhouse workers should wear
rubber gloves when handling sick or dead animals or animal tissue or when assisting an
animal giving birth.
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