Brucella

Question 1

General features

Answer 1

Gram negative
Short rods (coccobacilli)
Aerobic
Some carboxyphilic
Facultatively intracellular pathogen
Oxidase positive

Question 2

Classical brucella

Answer 2

abortus
suis
melitensis
-Potential bioweapons
-Highly infectious
-Easily aerosolized
-difficult to detect

Question 3

Transmission

Answer 3

Oral (ingestion or milk from infected cows to calves) or venereal

Question 4

Brucellosis

Answer 4

Infectious of the repro organs
-Cause abortions
-Zoonotic disease

Question 5

Erythritol

Answer 5

Growth factor in placenta and testicles (not in humans) some species of brucella require

Question 6

Geographic distribution

Answer 6

Worldwide
Considered eradicated in US

Question 7

Virulence factors

Answer 7

-Endotoxin
-Ability to survive in macrophages

Question 8

Diseases

Answer 8

-Contagious abortions
-Infertility, mastitis
-Bulls: orchitis and epididymitis. Affects joints

Question 9

Lesions

Answer 9

Granulomatous and suppurative

Question 10

Diagnosis

Answer 10

-Difficult in bulls and nonpregnant (asymptomatic)
-Suspect if see multiple abortions
-Examine cultures
-PCR assay for species confirmation
-Serology

Question 11

Treatment

Answer 11

Can not treat in food animals -Slaughter
Treat dogs with aminoglycosides or tetracyclines

Question 12

Vaccines

Answer 12

-Live attenuated strain only for females causes sterility in males (not used)
-RB51 strain-cell mediated immunity for all adults

Question 13

National Brucellosis Eradication Program

Answer 13

1. Detect infected animals
2. Reactors branded and slaughtered
3. Herds with suspects are quarantined
4. Vaccination of calves

Question 14

Class free

Answer 14

No positive herd for one year or if there was one they kill the herd and thoroughly test all adjacent herds

Question 15

Brucella suis

Answer 15

Can infect any animal

Question 16

Transmission of brucella suis

Answer 16

-Ingestion
-Nursery pigs from infected sows
-Venereal

Question 17

B. suis signs

Answer 17

-Abortion
-Sterility
-Still births
-Spondylitis
-Abscesses

Question 18

Control of B. suis

Answer 18

Eradicated

Question 19

Brucella ovis

Answer 19

Least pathogenic

Question 20

Transmission of B. ovis

Answer 20

Venereal

Question 21

Signs of B. ovis

Answer 21

-Epididymitis in rams
-Abortion and infertility

Question 22

Brucella canis

Answer 22

Only infects dogs

Question 23

Transmission of B. canis

Answer 23

Oral and venereal
highly contagious

Question 24

Pathogenesis of B. canis

Answer 24

Secreted in vaginal secretion, urine, or semen-> gets phagocytized-> ln->blood->repro tract

Question 25

B. canis signs

Answer 25

Abortion and infertility
-Persistent vaginal discharge with canis
-Epididymitis and prostatitis
-Testicular atrophy and sterility

Question 26

Diagnosis of B. canis

Answer 26

1. Culture or PCR
2. Necropsy
3. Serology: agglutination test

Question 27

Treatment of B. canis

Answer 27

-Aminoglycosides
-Tetracyclines
-Doxy with gentamicin
-Long term

Question 28

Prevention

Answer 28

No vaccine
Kill infected animals

Question 29

Brucella in horses

Answer 29

-Arthritis
-Atlantal bursitis (poll evil)
-Supraspinatus bursitis (fistulous withers)

Question 30

Brucella in goats

Answer 30

Melitensis most common
-Abortion
-Orchitis

Question 31

Brucella in humans

Answer 31

Melitensis most serious infection (Malta fever)
-Changed from occupational to foodborne disease

Question 32

Signs of brucella in humans

Answer 32

Chronic fatigue syndrome
-Long incubation period
-Undulant fever