Brucellosis

Synonyms
Bang's disease
Infectious abortion
Undulant fever

Brucellosis is a contagious disease of animal

that causes placentits and abortion.
It is of zoonotic importance
 Etiology/ Causative agent
• It is caused by
1. Brucella abortus : in cattle
2. Brucella melitensis : in goat and sheep
3. Brucella suis : in swine
4. Brucella canis : in dog
5. Brucella ovis : in sheep and goat

It is a gram negative organism

 Clinical signs
• Abortion in last trimester of gestation
• Weak born calf
• Placentitis and Retention of fetal membranes
• Endometritis
• There is grayish white mucoid or
mucopurulent discharges form the vagina
• Swelling of joint ( hygroma)
• Epididymitis ,orchitis and infertility in bull
 Transmission
• It is spread through ingestion of food and water
contaminated with discharges of aborted foetus
or fetal membranes.
• Milk of cow may also spread the infection
• It also spread through abraded skin.
• Transmission may also occur during copulation.
• Occasionally, the organism may enter through
inhalation.
 Diagnosis
• On the basis of signs and symptoms
• Isolation of organism from aborted fetus,
vaginal discharges and placenta.
• Rose bengal test and milk ring test to detect
the presence of brucella antibodies.
• Serological test like ELISA can be done.
 Rose bengal test

• It is a rapid plate agglutination test.

• In positive cases agglutination occurs and in
negative cases there is no agglutination.
 Treatment
• There is no known treatment that can cure
Brucellosis completely.

• Penicillin, Tetracycline, streptomycin can

reduce severity to some extent but cannot
cure the disease.
 Control
• Test and slaughter.
• Isolation of positive testing animals.
• Cases of abortion should be handled with care.
• Hygienic disposal of utrerine discharge, aborted
fetus,fetal membranes
• Contaminated surroundings should be disinfected.
• Strict quarantine measures should be followed.
• Vaccination against brucellosis is the best way to
prevent infection.