Brucellosis Overview
Learn About Brucellosis
Brucellosis is a bacterial infection that occurs from contact with animals carrying brucella bacteria.
Cyprus fever; Undulant fever; Gibraltar fever; Malta fever; Mediterranean fever
Brucella can infect cattle, goats, camels, dogs, and pigs. The bacteria can spread to humans by:
- Coming in contact with infected meat or the placenta of infected animals
- Eating unpasteurized cheese
- Drinking unpasteurized milk
Brucellosis is rare in the United States. About 100 to 200 cases occur each year. Most cases are caused by the Brucella melitensis bacteria.
People working in jobs where they often come in contact with animals or meat are at higher risk. This includes slaughterhouse workers, farmers, and veterinarians.
Brucella is found in many countries worldwide including:
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Iran
- Jordan
- Saudi Arabia
- Chad
- Greece
- Mexico
Acute brucellosis may begin with mild flu-like symptoms, or symptoms such as:
- Abdominal pain
- Back pain
- Fever and chills
- Excessive sweating
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Joint and muscle pain
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen glands
- Weakness
- Weight loss
High fever spikes often occur every afternoon. The name undulant fever is often used to describe this disease because the fever rises and falls in waves.
The illness may be chronic and last for years.
Antibiotics are used to treat the infection and prevent it from coming back. These include:
- Doxycycline
- Streptomycin
- Gentamicin
- Rifampin
Often, you need to take antibiotics for 6 weeks. If there are complications from brucellosis, you will likely need to take the medicines for a longer period.
White County Medical Center
Courtney Hicks is an Infectious Disease provider in Searcy, Arkansas. Dr. Hicks has been practicing medicine for over 12 years and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Brucellosis. Her top areas of expertise are Osteomyelitis, Brucellosis, Infective Endocarditis, Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Lung Disease, and Splenectomy. Dr. Hicks is currently accepting new patients.
White County Medical Center
Daniel Pace is a Family Medicine provider in Searcy, Arkansas. Dr. Pace and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Brucellosis. His top areas of expertise are Tracheitis, Otitis, Empyema, Endoscopy, and Hip Replacement. Dr. Pace is currently accepting new patients.
Symptoms may come and go for years. Also, the illness can come back after a long period of not having symptoms.
Health problems that may result from brucellosis include:
- Bone and joint infection and damage
- Encephalitis (swelling or inflammation of the brain)
- Infective endocarditis (inflammation of the inside lining of the heart chambers and heart valves)
- Meningitis (infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)
Contact your provider for an appointment if:
- You develop symptoms of brucellosis
- Your symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment
- You develop new symptoms after treatment for brucellosis
Drinking and eating only pasteurized dairy products, such as milk and cheeses, is the most important way to reduce the risk for brucellosis. People who handle meat should wear protective eyewear and clothing and protect skin breaks from infection.
Detecting infected animals controls the infection at its source. Vaccination is available for cattle, but not humans.
Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess safety and efficacy of the long-term treatment with RPH-104 at doses of 80 or 160 mg once every 2 weeks (q2w) in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) with colchicine resistance or intolerance (i.e. colchicine resistant, crFMF), who completed the core study, during which they received at least one dose of RPH-104 (i.e. study patient population).
Summary: Brucella spondylitis, an infectious spinal disease caused by the invasion of Brucella bacteria into the body. Its diagnosis relies mainly on laboratory and imaging tests. Due to the limited diagnostic ability of X-ray and CT for Brucella spondylitis, MRI has become the main diagnostic tool. In recent years, functional magnetic resonance technology has demonstrated great advantages in the diagnosis...
Published Date: August 26, 2023
Published By: Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Associate Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Associate in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Gotuzzo E, Ryan ET. Brucellosis. In: Ryan ET, Hill DR, Solomon T, Aronson NE, Endy TP, eds. Hunter's Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Diseases. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 75.
Gul HC, Erdem H. Brucellosis (Brucella species). In: Bennett JE, Dolin R, Blaser MJ, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 226.