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| − | <big><center>[[Infectious agents and parasites|'''BACK TO INFECTIOUS AGENTS AND PARASITES''']]</center></big>
| + | #REDIRECT[[:Category:Brucella species]] |
| − | <big><center>[[Bacteria|'''BACK TO BACTERIA''']]</center></big>
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| − | *''B. abortus'' occasionally in [[Joints - inflammatory#In Cattle|arthritis of cattle]]
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| − | *Isolated from closed cases of [[Bursae and Tendons - inflammatory#Poll Evil and Fistulous Withers|Poll Evil and Fistulous Withers]]
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| − | ===Overview===
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| − | *Important zoonoses worldwide
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| − | *Cause chronic granulomatous diseases
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| − | *6 species
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| − | *Target reproductive organs of certain species
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| − | *Infected animals act as reservoir of infection
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| − | *Organisms can remain viable in moist environment for months
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| − | *Cause undulant fever in humans
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| − | ===Characteristics===
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| − | *Small, non-moltile, Gram negative coccobacilli
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| − | *Facultatice intracellular pathogens
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| − | *Modified Ziehl-Neelsen positive - clusters of red coccobacilli on smears
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| − | *Aerobic and capnophilic
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| − | *Catalase positive; oxidase and urease positive except for ''Brucella ovis''
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| − | *Some species require enriched media for growth
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| − | *Non-haemolytic
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| − | *Smooth colonies of ''B. abortus, B. melitensis'' and ''B. suis'' are small, glistening, blue and translucent after incubation for 3-5 days, and become opaque with age
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| − | *Rough colonies of ''B. ovis'' and ''B. canis'' are dull, yellow, opaque and friable
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| − | *Slide agglutination with speicific antisera detect important antigens
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| − | *''B. abortus'' lysed by specific bacterophages
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| − | *Oxidative metaboloic rates can differentiate species
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| − | ===Pathogenesis and pathogenicity===
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| − | *Brucellae that lack outer membrane LPS (rough colonies) are less virulent than those which possess it
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| − | *Penetrate nasal, oral or pharyngeal mucosa
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| − | *Phagocytosed and carried to regional lymph nodes
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| − | *Smooth organisms survive and multiply in cells of the reticulo-endothelial system
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| − | *Inhibit lysosome-phagosome fusion
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| − | *Superoxide dismutase and catalase production may resist oxidative killing
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| − | *Lymph nodes enlarge (lymphatic and lymphoreticular hyperplasia) and inflammation is induced
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| − | *Surviving organisms spread to other organs (liver, spleen, placenta) and cause granulomatous reactions
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| − | *Eythritol is a growth stimulant and attracts the bacteria to the placenta of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs; also found in mammary gland and epididymis, targets for brucellae
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| − | *Infection of foetus and abortion
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| − | *May localise in joints or intervertebral discs in chronic infections
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| − | ===Clinical disease===
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| − | *Bovine brucellosis:
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| − | **Caused by ''Brucella abortus''
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| − | **Eradicated in many countries including UK
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| − | **Infection usually by ingestions but also venereal, skin abrasions, inhalation, transplacental
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| − | **Abortion storms in susceptible herds
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| − | **Abortion after fifth month of gestation due to placentitis
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| − | **Brucellae excreted in foetal fluids for 2-4 weeks following abortion and at subsequent parturitions without abortion
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| − | **Infection of mammary glands and lymph nodes persists for years
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| − | **Excreted intermittently in milk for years
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| − | **Seminal vesicles, ampullae, testicles and epididymus infected in bulls; necrotising orchitis
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| − | **Decreased fertility and milk production
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| − | ===Diagnosis===
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| − | *Serological testing of milk (Milk Ring Test) and beef cattle (Rose Bengal Plate Test)
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| − | *Serological tests detect anti-lipopolysaccharide antibodies
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| − | *LPS antigen present in virulent as well as some vaccine strains therefore vaccination may confuse serological testing
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| − | *False positives due to cross-reaction with LPS in other bacteria
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| − | *Modified Ziehl-Neelson stains reveal organisms in samples from cotyledons, uterine discharge and foetal abomasal contents
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| − | *PCR for detection in tissue
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| − | *Enriched media for isolation
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| − | ===Control===
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| − | *Vaccination:
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| − | **Strain S19, a live vaccine, stimulating a cell-mediated immune response; vaccination of young animals; interferes with serological testing
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| − | **Newer RB51 vaccine has no LPS O-antigen therefore not detcted by serological tests
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| − | **Live attenuated ''Brucella melitensis'' vaccine to protect sheep and goats against ''B. melitensis''
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| − | *Test and slaughter program has eradicated Brucellosis in the UK
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