Brucellosis
Brucellosis, commonly known as Bangs disease, comes from the genus Brucella. Brucella is a highly contagious zoonosis contracted by the ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat products that are infected. It can also be contracted by the close contact with the animal secretions. Human to human transmission is rare but yet still possible by means of sexual contact or mother to child.
Brucella is a small, gram-negative microbe that is non-motile and has non-spore forming rods. It functions as a facultative intercellular parasite that causes chronic disease and will usually persists for life. Human symptoms are recognized by profuse sweating and muscle and joint pain. Brucellosis has been recognized in animals and humans since the 19th century.
Brucellosis, when first discovered, went by the name of Malta fever. It first came to the attention of British medical officers in Malta during the Crimean war in the mid 1850’s. The relationship between organisms and the disease was first established in 1887 by Dr David Bruce. In 1897, Danish veterinarian Bernhard Bang isolated Brucella abortus as the agent “Bangs disease”. Maltese doctor and archeologist Sir Themistocles Zammit earned his knighthood for recognizing unpasteurized milk as the major source of the pathogen in 1905.
The species of the Brucella, Brucella abortus, is the main cause of brucellosis in cattle and bison. The bacteria are shed from an animal around the time of calving or pregnancy. Once exposed, the likelihood the animal becoming infected is variable depending on age, pregnancy status, and the amount of bacteria the animal was exposed to. The most common signs in animals are incidences of abortion, arthritic joints, and retained afterbirth. There are primarily two main causes of abortion in animals. One is due to the build up of erythritol which promotes infections in the fetus and the placenta. The second is due to lack of anti-brucella activity in the amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Males
Brucella is a small, gram-negative microbe that is non-motile and has non-spore forming rods. It functions as a facultative intercellular parasite that causes chronic disease and will usually persists for life. Human symptoms are recognized by profuse sweating and muscle and joint pain. Brucellosis has been recognized in animals and humans since the 19th century.
Brucellosis, when first discovered, went by the name of Malta fever. It first came to the attention of British medical officers in Malta during the Crimean war in the mid 1850’s. The relationship between organisms and the disease was first established in 1887 by Dr David Bruce. In 1897, Danish veterinarian Bernhard Bang isolated Brucella abortus as the agent “Bangs disease”. Maltese doctor and archeologist Sir Themistocles Zammit earned his knighthood for recognizing unpasteurized milk as the major source of the pathogen in 1905.
The species of the Brucella, Brucella abortus, is the main cause of brucellosis in cattle and bison. The bacteria are shed from an animal around the time of calving or pregnancy. Once exposed, the likelihood the animal becoming infected is variable depending on age, pregnancy status, and the amount of bacteria the animal was exposed to. The most common signs in animals are incidences of abortion, arthritic joints, and retained afterbirth. There are primarily two main causes of abortion in animals. One is due to the build up of erythritol which promotes infections in the fetus and the placenta. The second is due to lack of anti-brucella activity in the amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Males
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