Brucella Flashcards

1
Q

What are the characteristics of Brucella?

A
  • Gram negative
  • Short rods (Coccobacilli)
  • Aerobic (nonfermentative)
  • Some carboxyphilic
  • Facultatively intracellular pathogen
  • Zoonotic
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2
Q

What are the Brucell species?

A
  • ANY species can infect any animal species
  • B. abortus - cattle
  • B. suis - Swine
  • B. melitensis - Sheep, Goat, Humans
  • B. ovis - Sheep
  • B. canis - dogs
  • B. neotomae - Desert wood rats (restricted host range and geographic distribution)
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3
Q

What is “Clasical Brucella”?

A
  • B. abortus, B. suis, and B. melitensis
  • Lited as protential bio-weapons by CDC
    • Highly infectious
    • Easily aerosolized
    • Difficult to detect
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4
Q

What is the virulence of different Brucella species?

A
  • B. abortus & B. melitensis Highly virulence
  • B. ovis & B. canis Low virulence
  • B. suis Intermediate virulence
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5
Q

How is Brucella transmitted?

A
  • Primarily oral or venereal
  • B. abortus & B. melitensis: More often oral
  • B. ovis, B. suis, & B. canis More often venereal
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6
Q

Differentiation of Brucella Species

A
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7
Q

What is Brucellosis?

A
  • Infections of the reproductive organs
    • Uterus, placenta
    • Testicles, particularly epididymis
  • Causes Abortions
  • Zoonotic disease
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8
Q

What is Erythritol?

A
  • Growth factor
  • Present in placenta and testicle (not in humans)
  • B. abortus, B. suis, & B. melitensis have preference
  • B. canis does not require
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9
Q

What is Brucella abortus?

A
  • Colonies exhibit Smooth to Rough dissociation
  • Change in LPS structure
  • R is avirulent
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10
Q

What is the Habitat for Brucella abortus?

A
  • Obligate pathogen of animals
  • Source of infection: infected or carrier animals
    • Uterine discharges
    • Milk and milk product
    • feces
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11
Q

What is the geographic distribution of Brucella abortus?

A
  • Worldwide
  • Practically eradicated in the US
  • All 50 state and Puerto Rico and Virgin islands are ‘Brucellosis class free’
  • Still detected in states adjacent to Yellow Stone
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12
Q

What is the mode of infection of Brucella abortus?

A
  • Ingstion
  • Venereal transmission
  • Milk from infected cows - for calves
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13
Q

How is Brucella abotus zoonotic?

A
  • Occupational disease for Veterinarians and Slaughter house workers
  • Vets:
    • during vaccination
    • Removal of retained placenta
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14
Q

What are the Virulence Factors of Brucella abortus?

A
  • Endotoxin
  • Abilit to survve in macrophages (Facultatively intracellular)
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15
Q

What diseases does Brucella abortus cause?

A
  • Contagious abortion (Bang’s diesease)
    • Abortion >5 mo, with retained placenta
    • Infertility, mastitis
    • Bull: orchitis and epididymitis
    • Affects joints
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16
Q

What lesions are seen with Brucella abortus?

A
  • Granulomatous and Suppurative
  • Placentitis
  • Endometritis
  • Fetus:
    • Edema and congestion of lungs
    • hemorrhages of the epicardium and splenic capsule
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17
Q

How is Brucella abortus Diagnosed?

A
  • Difficut in bulls and non-pregnant females
    • usually asymptomatic
  • Abortion in cow
    • particularly multiple in a herd
  • Cattle with following signs should be tested:
    • Abortion
    • Increased frequency of retained placenta
    • Testicular enlargement/abscesses
  1. Cultural examination:
    • Sample: Fetal stomach contents, Placenta, Vaginal discharge, semen, Milk, Lymph nodes
    • PCR assay for species confirmation
  2. Serology:
    1. Tube agglutination test
    2. Rapid plate agglutination test
    3. Milk Ring (ABRT) test
    4. Card test
  • Vaccinated animals have IgM
  • Infected animals have IgG
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18
Q

How is the specificity of testing for Brucella abortus increased?

A
  • Repeat test after several weeks
  • Heating serum to 65C for 15 min
  • Treatment ofserum with Rivanol or Mercaptoethanol (degrade IgM)
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19
Q

What other tests are there for Brucella abortus?

A
  • Completement fixation test
  • Particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay - Automated
  • ELISA - very sensitive
20
Q

What is treatment for Brucella abortus?

A
  • Susceptible to aminoglycosides and tetracyclines
  • NOT permitted in Food Animals
  • Permitted in Dogs and humans
21
Q

Is there a vaccine for Brucella abrotus?

A
  • Strain 19 B.abortus biotype 1
    • Live attenuated
    • Only femle calves, 4-12 mo
    • Males are not vaccinated - causes infertility
  • RB51 strain (1996)
    • Rough mutant o strain 2308
    • Lacks O side chain in LPS
    • Cell mediated immunity
    • Used in adults also
22
Q

What is the National Brucellosis Eradication Program?

A
  • Initiated in 1934, formally established in 1954
  1. Detection of infected animals
  2. Reactors are branded and slaughtered-Indemnity payment
  3. Herds with suspects are quarantined
  4. Vaccination of calves
23
Q

How is Brucellosis Status designated? before 1998

A
  • Class-free: No cattle or bison are infected for 12 consecutive months
  • Class A: 2.5 herds/1,000 herds
  • Class B: 15 herds/1,000 herds
  • Class C: >15 herds/1,000 herds
24
Q

What is the Brucellosis Surveillance Program?

A
  • Market testing Program:
    • Blood testing of cattle and bison sold or slaughtered
    • Milk ring test of dairy herds
  • New Strategy: (post 1998)
    • Blood testing of cattle at slaughter
    • Diagnostic laboratory-based abortion surveillance
25
Q

What is the Brucellosis “Rapid Completion Plan?”

A
26
Q

What was the Brucellosis Status Designation in 1998?

A
  • Class free:
    • No positive herd detected or one positive herd detected and her was depopulated and a thorough epidemiological investigation is completed
  • Class A: Second positive herd detected within 24 months
27
Q

What is Brucella suis?

A
  • Can infect other animals
  • 5 Biotypes:
    • 1, 2, & 3 in pigs
    • 4 & 5 in rodents and reindeer
    • 2 in horses
28
Q

What is the mode of infection of Brucella suis?

A
  • Ingestion
  • Nursing pigs from infected sows
  • Venereal transmission
29
Q

What does Brucellosis cause in Swine?

A
  • Abortion (any time)
  • Sterility
  • Still births
  • Spondylitis
  • Abscesses in various organs
30
Q

What are the control measures for Brucellosis in Swine?

A
  • USDA National eradication programs is in place
  • Elimination of the infected herd
  • Infection occurs in wild and feral swine
  • NO VACCINE
31
Q

What is Brucella ovis?

A
  • Least pathogenic species
  • Venereal transmission
  • Causes epididymitis in rams - often unilateral
  • Causes abortion and infertillity in ewes
  • B. abortus and B. melitensis are also involved
  • B. abortus is more common than B. ovis
32
Q

What is Brucella canis?

A
  • Infects only dogs
  • Highly conagious
  • Mode of infection: Oral and venereal
33
Q

What is the Pathogenesis of Brucella canis?

A
  1. Urine / Vaginal Secretions / Semen
    1. Makes contact with conjuctiva, Oral mucosa, Nasal mucosa
    2. Makes contact with genital mucosa
  2. B. canis is phagocytized
  3. Makes it into the lymph nodes
  4. Makes it into the blood
  5. Reaches the Reproductiv tract
    1. Female - goes to uterus / fetus
    2. Male - goes to epidiymis / prostate
34
Q

What symptoms does Canine Brucellosis cause in Females?

A
  • Abortion (45 - 55 days)
    • Aborted puppies show autolysi
    • Edema and degenerative lesions
  • Infertility
  • Persistent vaginal discharge, which is loaded with B. canis
35
Q

What symptoms does Canine Brucellosis cause in Males?

A
  • Epididymitis
  • Prostatitis
  • Semen will have B. canis
  • In chronic cases, testicular atrophy and sterility
36
Q

What is Brucellosis in Dogs?

A
  • Serious problem in breeding kennels
  • Occationally B. abortus, suis or melitensis
  • B canis infection in humans is mild
37
Q

How is Canine Brucellosis Diagnosed?

A
  • Cultural or PCR examination:
    • Blood, vaginal discharde, aborted fetuses, semen
  • Necropsy: lymph nodes and spleen
  • Serology: Agglutination test
38
Q

How is Canine Brucellosis Treated?

A
  • Antibiotic:
    • Aminoglycosides and Tetracyclines
      • Doxycycline and gentamicin combo
  • Long term treatment (3mo)
  • Difficult to achieve complete cure
  • Disease may relapse
  • Not recommended for breeding dogs
39
Q

How is Canine Brucellosis Prevented?

A
  • No Vaccine
  • Breeding Kennels:
    • Periodic tsting and euthanizing all infected dogs
  • Pet Dogs:
    • Spay/Castration
    • Treatment
    • Consider Euthanasia
40
Q

How is Brucellosis Controlled/Eradicated in Kennels?

A
  • Quarantine
  • Testing of all dogs
  • Segregation of healthy dogs
  • Euthanizing positive dogs
  • Rigorous cleaningand disinfection
41
Q

What is Brucellosis in Horses?

A
  • B. abortus
  • Abortion is rare
  • Arthritis is common
  • B. abortus is associated with:
    • Poll evil (Atlantal bursitis)
    • Fistulous withers (Supraspinatus bursitis)
42
Q

What is Brucellosis in Goats?

A
  • B. melitensis most common
  • Abortion
  • Orchitis
43
Q

What is Brucellosis in Humans?

A
  • B. abortus, suis, melitensis, rarely canis
    • No B. ovis or neotomae
  • B. melitensis causes the most serious infection
  • “Malta fever” “Undulant Fever”
  • Long incubation period
  • ~100 cases per year in the US
  • Source of Infection:
    • direct contact
    • Unpasteruized milk/cheese
  • Occupational disease
    • Most prevalent in: Farm workers, Slaughter house workers, Vets
  • In the last decade, Brucellosis has changed to a foodborne disease
44
Q

WWhat are the clinical signs of Brucellosis in Humans?

A
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Malaise
  • Headache
  • Joint Pains
  • Fatigue
  • ‘Chronic fatigue syndrom’
45
Q

What does Brucellosis cause in general?

A

Infection of the reproductive organs