Brucella Flashcards
What does Brucella cause?
Abortion in animals and foodborne zoonosis for humans
Where was brucella first discovered?
In small cocci in the spleen
What is the basic microbiology of brucella?
- Gram negative
- Small coccobacilli
- Aerobic, Capnophillic (thrive in high CO2), Catalase +
- Faculative intracellular
- Has environmental persistence
- Non-Sporulating
What are the 6 classical species of Brucella?
- B. abortus
- B. melitensis
- B. suis
- B. canis
- B.ovis
- B. neotomae
What species are smooth/ possess the O-polysaccharide?
B. abortus, B. melitensis & B. suis
What species are naturally rough/ do not produce OPS?
B. ovis & B. canis
What type of Brucella are more pathogenic?
Smooth
What is the taxonomy of Brucella?
Phylum: α-Proteobacteria
* Order: Rhizobiales
* Family: Brucellaceae
* Genus: Brucella
What has brucella derived from?
soil dwelling plant associate
What is important about ruminant abortion
- Only in the last trimester
- they only abort once from the infection
- next pregnnacy they excrete the bacteria- milk/ calf may be infecred
Where is the significant shedding of brucella in ruminants?
Through milk
How is brucella transmissed?
- Shared grazing
- Importation of animals
Why does brucella not effect human pregnancies?
Humans do not produce the hormone erythitol
How does brucella cause abortion in a pregnant animal carrying it?
- Erythitol is produced by placental cells in the final trimester
- Brucella is attracted to the placenta-due to the erythitol
- Invasion of the placenta via erythropathogenic cells
- Causes an inflammatory response -> tissue damage -> abortion
What are the clinical signs of brucella in pigs?
- Similiar to ruminants
- may see swollen joints and tendon sheaths, lameness and incoorrdination