Brucellosis

Description

Brucellosis is an infection caused by bacteria. It is transmitted from animals to people. More often, people brucellosis by the consumption of dairy products that are raw or not treated to make them safer, called pasteurization. In certain workplaces of the bacteria that cause brucellosis can be inhaled. People can also contract brucellosis through direct contact with infected animals.

The symptoms of brucellosis may include fever, joint pain, and being very tired. The infection can often be treatedted with antibiotics. However, the treatment takes several weeks to months. And the infection may return.

Brucellosis affects many people and animals all over the world. Do not eat or drink raw dairy products helps prevent brucellosis. Be careful at the time of working with animals, processing of, or in a lab can help to prevent brucellosis.

Symptoms

The symptoms of brucellosis can occur at any time of a couple of days to a couple of months after the infection. The symptoms are similar to those of the flu. They include:

  • Fever.
  • Chills.
  • Lloss of appetite.
  • Excessive sweating.
  • The weakness.
  • Fatigue.
  • The joints, muscles and back pain.
  • The pain of a headache.

Brucellosis symptoms can disappear for weeks or months and then return. Some people have long-term, called chronic brucellosis. Have any symptoms for years, even after treatment. Long-term symptoms can include:

  • Fatigue.
  • Repeated fevers.
  • Swelling, called inflammation of the inner lining of the chambers of the heart called endocarditis.
  • Inflammation of the joints, arthritis called.
  • Arthritis in the bones of the spinal column, called spondylitis.
  • Arthritis of the joints where the spine and pelvis connect, called sacroiliitis.

When to see a doctor

Brucellosis can be difficult to diagnose, especially in the early stages. At that point, that it often seems as other conditions, such as the flu. Make a medical appointment if you are at risk of brucellosis and fever that goes up fast or hard, or muscle aches and pains, or unusual weakness.

Causes

The brucellosis bacteria are carried by many animals. The bacteria may or may not cause the animals sick. Some of those who carry the bacteria that can infect humans, including:

  • Cattle, goats and sheep.
  • Pigs and wild pigs.
  • Dogs, especially those which are used in hunting.
  • Deer, elk, caribou and moose.
  • The bison.
  • The camels.

A form of brucellosis also affects harbor seals, porpoises, and certain whales.

The most common ways in which the bacteria are transmitted from animals to people are:

  • Eating raw products of animal origin. Brucella bacteria in the milk of infected animals can spread to humans has not been pasteurized, the milk, the cream, butter, and cheese. The bacteria can also come from raw or undercooked meat of infected animals.
  • The respiration of the bacteria. Brucella bacteria are easily spread in the air. Farmers, hunters, laboratory workers and slaughterhouse workers can breathe in the bacteria.
  • Touching blood and body fluids of infected animals. The bacteria in the blood, semen, or the placenta of an infected animal can enter a person's blood through a cut or other wound. Contact with animals, such as touching, brushing, and playing with them, it does not cause infection. So people rarely get the brucellosis of their pets. Even so, people who have weakened immune systems should avoid touching the dogs that have the disease.

Brucellosis is not likely to spread from person to person. But on rare occasions, the disease can be transmitted during birth or through breast milk. Rarely, brucellosis can be spread through sexual activity or through infected blood or bone marrow transfusions.

Risk factors

Brucellosis is rare in the united States. But it is more common in other parts of the world, especially:

  • The south of Europe, such as Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Italy, Greece, the South of France.
  • Eastern Europe.
  • Mexico, Central and South America.
  • Asia.
  • Africa.
  • The Caribbean.
  • The Middle East.

The work of higher risk

The people who work with animals or who come into contact with infected blood, are at higher risk of brucellosis. Examples include:

  • Veterinarians.
  • The dairy producers.
  • The ranchers.
  • Slaughterhouse workers.
  • To the hunters.
  • Microbiologists.

Complications

Brucellosis can affect almost any part of the body, including the reproductive system, liver, heart and central nervous system. Long-term, called chronic brucellosis can cause complications in a single body or through the body. Possible complications include:

  • Swelling, called inflammation of the inner lining of the chambers of the heart called endocarditis. This is one of the most serious complications of brucellosis. Without treatment of endocarditis can damage or destroy heart valves. This is the main cause of death of brucellosis.
  • Arthritis. This is marked by pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints, especially the knees, hips, ankles, wrists, and spine. Arthritis of the joints of the spine, called spondylitis, and joints of the linking of the lower part of the spine and the pelvis, called the arthritis, it can be difficult to treat. Can cause lasting damage.
  • The infection of the testicles, called epididymo-orrchitis. The bacteria that cause brucellosis can infect the spiral tube above and behind the testicles that stores and carries sperm, called the epididymis. The infection can spread to the testicle. This causes pain and inflammation, that can be serious.
  • Infection of the spleen and the liver. Brucellosis can also affect the spleen and liver, making it feel bigger than usual.
  • Infections of the Central nervous system. These include, possibly, life-threatening diseases, such as inflammation, called the inflammation of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord, called meningitis, or brain, called encephalitis.

Prevention

To reduce the risk of contracting brucellosis, take these precautions:

  • Do not consume dairy products that have not been treated, called pasteurized. In the past, andthe ears in the united States, some of the cases of brucellosis have been linked to raw dairy products from the herds. Even so, it is best to avoid unpasteurized milk, cheese and ice cream, no matter where they come from. If you are traveling to other countries, avoid all the raw materials of dairy foods.
  • Cook the meat all the way. Cook a cut of meat until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit (63 degrees Celsius). Let stand for at least three minutes before carving or eating. It will be half done. Cook ground beef to 160 ° f (71 C). Well done. Cook all poultry, including ground poultry to 165 F (74 C). Do not eat raw food.
  • Use gloves. If you are a veterinarian, farmer, hunter, or slaughterhouse worker, wear rubber gloves when handling sick or dead animals or animal tissues. Wear gloves when you help an animal give birth.
  • Take care of high-risk in the workplace. For the laboratory work, make sure that all biosecurity conditions are being met. Slaughterhouses should also take protective measures. These include the use of protective clothing and have the killing floor, in addition to other areas of work.
  • Vaccinate farm animals. In the united States, brucellosis in cattle is rare due to vaccination. Because the vaccine against brucellosis is live, the people that are pricked with a needle, while the vaccination of the animalscan get the disease. They need to be treated.

Brucellosis

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of brucellosis is made by blood tests or the spongy stuff inside the bones, called bone marrow. Other tests can help to find the complications of brucellosis. They include:

  • The x-rays. X-rays can show changes in the bones and joints.
  • Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. These imaging tests can show areas of the brain or other tissues that may be affected by brucellosis.
  • Cerebrospinal fluid culture. This verifies a small sample of the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord to infections such as meningitis and encephalitis.
  • Echocardiography. This test uses sound waves to create images of the heart to look for signs of infection or damage in the heart.

Treatment

Treatment for brucelosis is to relieve symptoms, prevent recurrence of the disease and prevent complications. The treatment involves taking antibiotics for at least six weeks. Symptoms may not disappear completely for several months. The disease may also go back and become long -term, the call-chronicle.

Preparing for your appointment

You can start by seeing your health care professional. Then, you may be referred to a specialist in infectious diseases. A diagnosis of brucellosis depends on your input in contact with the bacteria that cause the disease. Your health care team will need as much information as possible about that.

What you can do

Before your appointment, you can write down the answers to the following questions:

  • When did you begin to have symptoms?
  • Have you had any raw dairy products, like milk or goat cheese?
  • Does your work involve contact with animals or animal tissues?
  • Have you traveled to other countries besides the united States during the past year?
  • Do you work in a laboratory where bacteria are present?
  • You've gone hunting recently?

What to expect from your doctor

During the physical exam, your health care professional may:

  • Ask you to move your joints, to verify the pain and stiffness.
  • Check your reflexes and the strength of your muscles.
  • Press on the abdomen to see if the organs are larger than usual, or of the tender.
Symptoms and treatment of Brucellosis