Brucella Flashcards
This disease MAY be caused by:
* Brucella abortus
* Brucella melitensis
* Brucella suis
* Any of the above
All of the above
The risk of the veterinarian becoming infected
and clinically symptomatic with this etiological
agents is:
* Nonexistent
* Low
* High
** Depends on the exact agent
Most likely cause in a dog is brucella canis and is the most common zoonotic pathogen worldwide.
Brucella
–> Morphology
- _______ (0.5-0.7 x 0.6-1.5 μm)
- Usually single cells
- Gram- _____
- Strict _____
don’t care Most are catalase and oxidase +, and urea +
don’t care Non-motile
- Category B Select Agent
BLS-3 required for cell ______ of all
Brucella nomenspecies; BSL-2 for _______ _______.
Coccobacillus, negative, aerobe, culture, infected tissues
Brucella- Composition and Metabolism
* Facultative _______ pathogen
* Aerobe; many strains require increased levels of ___
* Nomenspecies differentiation based on
1. ______ reactivity
2. ____ composition
3. ________ susceptibility
4. ___ specificity
intracellular, CO 2
Biochemical, Antigen, Bacteriophage, DNA
biotypes: biochemical testing shows differences
do not memorize
do not memorize
Other species
* B. opinata
* BO1-U.S. human breast implant
* BO2-Australia man with pneumonia
* Australian rodent strains NF2653 and 86-13
Brucella LPS Antigens
- Which strains of Brucella ar econsidered to be smooth nomenspecies? Which antigen do they express?
- B. abortus expresses which antigen?
- B. melitensis expresses which antigen?
- What is the difference between the antigens B. abortus and B. melitensis express?
- O-antigen involved in _______ reaction and other serological assays
- Closely related to Yersinia enterocolitica O:9, Francisella tularensis, and E. coli O157:H7 antigenically
- B. abortus, B. melitensis, B. neotomae, and B. suis; smooth O-antigen
- Aobrtus LPS = A antigen
- Melatensis = M antigen
- Same sugar, so linked differently making them antigenically different; Linkages of O-antigens differ and can be used to differentiate
B. abortus and B. melitensis - agglutination
- B. canis and B. ovis exhibit ____ LPS, which lacks __-
antigen and has a core oligosaccharide of mannose,
glucose, 2-amino-2,6-dideoxy-D-glucose, glucosamine
and 3-deoxy-D-manno-2-octulosonic acid (KDO)
** FOR ALL NOMENSPECIES: LPS may contribute to _______ survival, but it is NOT a substantial _____
rough, O
Have Lipid A and core. One reason why they are less virulent.
intracellular, endotoxin
**Transmission
–> Reservoir are _____ animals or ____ infected animals
2. What is the most common for of transmission?
3. Another form of transmission is exposure of infected _____ _____ as well as ______ and _______.
–> 4. For the 4 zoonotic pathogens (?), what is the most common form of transmission to humans?
–> ____ infections are cleared in 4-6 weeks, but can persist in the _____ and ______ system (RES) indefinitely for some nomenspecies.
carrier, newly
2. Ingestion of placenta, uterine fluids, milk, urine
3. mucous membranes, venereal, congenital
abortus, melitensis, suis, canis
- handling aborted fetus, placenta, and uterine fluids, or consuming infected milk or cheese is the most common mode of transmission
Genital, udder, reticuloendothelial
Brucella abortus
Initial isolation: Dr. ____ (1897)
Geographic distribution: _____
–> Transmission
1. ____ – primary mode
2. ____ transmission
3. ____-____ and ____ transmission
4. Some cattle are more ____ to infection
Bang, worldwide
1. Ingestion
2. Venereal
3. Intra-mammary, congenital
4. resistant
B. abortus Pathogenesis
* Bacteria penetrate _______ ______
* Localize in regional _____ _____
* Phagocytosis by ______ and fixed ______
* Bacteremia – disseminates to ______, _____, and ____ ______system
* Can also localize to the _____ tract of males
mucous membranes, lymph, nodes, neutrophils, macrophages, udder, uterus, reticulo-endothelial , genital
Orchitis/Epididymitis
B. abortus Pathogenesis
**** Proliferate best in cells with high levels of _____; i.e., ?
***** Concentration of bacteria greatest at time of _____; disappear from
genital tract within ___ days after gestation
* Maintained in _____ Endothelial tissues and udder –> which is why it is shed in the ___
erythritol, Trophoblasts of placenta, abortion, 30, Reticular, milk
What can be seen in this image?
Bovine, placenta. The placenta contains
numerous hemorrhagic cotyledon
What can be seen in this image?
Bovine, placenta. Numerous pale clumps of
exudate are scattered over the cotyledon and
adjacent chorion.
B. abortus Disease
* Placenta may be _______; cotyledons show ___ or _____ areas of necrosis
* ______ may be retained
* Most infected animals remain ______; shed bacteria after _____
thickened, local, diffuse, Placenta, carriers, calving
B. abortus Disease
* Abortion – after ____ month
* Usually only during ___ pregnancy
* <____ % abort more than once
* Fetus _____
* ____ tinged fluid in body cavities
* Turbid ______ contents
5th, first, 20, edematous, Blood, abomasal
B. abortus disease