L30 Bacterial Zoonoses Flashcards
What is a disease transmitted from animals to humans?
Zoonosis
Brucellosis is found worldwide; what does it cause in animals?
Spontaneous abortions in sheep, cattle, pigs, and dogs
How are humans infected with brucellosis?
Contact with animals or ingestion of contaminated milk or dairy products (particularly unpasteurized dairy products); it can also be inhaled.
What are the four species of Brucella and in what animals are they found?
B. melitensis (goats, sheep, camels)
B. suis (pigs)
B. abortus (cattle)
B. canis (dogs)
Which species of Brucella is most responsible for human infections?
B. melitensis
Brucellosis is a category ___ biothreat agent. Why is it a biothreat agent?
B; it can be aerosolized
What are the three primary routes of infection for Brucellosis?
Ingestion, inhalation, inoculation
Describe the pathogenesis of Brucella.
Organisms penetrate the skin or mucous membranes. They are phagocytosed by macrophages and monocytes and carried to the spleen, liver, bone marrow, lymph nodes, and kidneys. Organisms multiply in macrophages in the RES. The host ultimately forms small granulomas.
What are the host defense implications of Brucella being an intracellular organism?
Humoral immunity is irrelevant (thus, T cell immunity determines recovery)
Why does Brucella survive intracellularly?
They can inhibit PMN leukocyte degranulation.
Brucella has a predilection for ___ tissues in animals.
Erythritol-rich
Symptoms of Brucella appear ___ weeks after exposure.
2-8
Describe the clinical manifestations of Brucella.
Initially: non-specific symptoms (malaise, chills, sweats, fatigue, weakness, myalgias)
Undulating fever/fever of unknown origin
Splenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly
What are the advanced diseases caused by Brucella?
GI symptoms Osteolytic lesions or joint effusion Respiratory symptoms Meningitis/meningoencephalitis Endocarditis with septic embolization Orchitis Renal granulomas Endophthalmitis from hematogenous dissemination
Chronic infection with Brucella leads to symptom development in ___ months.
3-6
How is brucella diagnosed?
- Blood cultures (extended incubation)
- Bone marrow or infected tissue cultures
- Serology
- Elevated febrile agglutinin titer
What are the features of Brucella?
- Small coccobacillus Gram negative rod - porr staining, looks like fine sand
- Slow growing, requires enriched media
How is Brucellosis treated?
With agents that penetrate phagocytic cells - oral tetracycines, aminoglycosides
Surgical intervention may be necessary in some cases
Describe the effect of cephalosporins and fluroquinolones on Brucellosis.
Poor activity, patients may relapse (10% of the time)
How can Brucellosis be prevented?
Immunize livestock, avoid unpasteurized milk and dairy products
True or false - there is no human vaccine for Brucellosis.
True
What causes tularemia?
Francisella tularensis
How is tularemia transmitted?
Wild animals, transovarial transmission in ticks, deer flies, domestic pets that catch infected animals, consumption of contaminated meat or water
Most tularemia patients are men - why?
They are hunters.
Tularemia is a potential ___ agent.
Biothreat
Describe the pathogenesis of tularemia.
The organism enters through breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. Low inoculation needed. An ulcer may develop at the entry site. Organisms disseminate via the blood stream, and the host responds by forming a granuloma.