Brucellosis

Jogita Moirangthem *

Brucellosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease caused by Brucella species. This bacterial infection is highly contagious between dogs. It causes reproductive failure especially in kennels. It is characterized by infertility, anorexia, weightloss, pain, lameness and muscle weakness.

Canine Brucellosis is mainly caused by Brucella canis. Although people can become infected by coming in contact with infected Dog.

HOW DOES DOGS GET BRUCELLOSIS?

It transferred through foetus, placenta, foetal fluids and vaginal discharge from an infected bitch. In males, semen can contain high concentration of Brucella canis for weeks or month after infection. This organism is also shed in urine and low concentration of bacteria have been detected in saliva, nasal, ocular secretion and faeces.

It enters the body by ingestion and through the genital, oronasal and conjunctival mucosa. It may also be transmitted between the dog during close contact even in the absence of mating or pregnancy. It also transmitted through blood transfusion and contaminated syringe.

HOW IS BRUCELLOSIS TREATED?

Some dogs have been treated successfully with long term antibiotics. Treatment is usually with a combination of two different antibiotics such as tetracycline or fluroquinolones combine with amino glycosides. No treatment is certain to eliminate Brucella canis. Even when this organism seems to have disappear it may persist in tissue such as the lymph nodes, spleen, uterus and prostate.

Enrofloxacil alone appeared to be successful in one trial, but it has not been extensively evaluated. Periodic serological monitoring might be able to detect rising antibody titers if organism persisit and begin to replicate again in treated animal.

HOW TO PREVENT BRUCELLOSIS?

Some countries free of Brucella canis require that imported dogs be tested for this organism. Testing animals before they are allowed to breed also helps reduce disease transmission. The infected animals should be isolated and tested.

A second serological test, performed before the dog is released from isolation, may detect animal that are in the early stage of infection and seronegative on arrival. The currently available assays can miss some infected animal and it is recommended that kennels routinely test all the dogs either annually or twice a day. This may reduce losses in the event that Brucella canis is introduced.

In infected Kennels, Brucellosis can be controlled by sanitation and infection control measure, together with euthanasia, isolation or removal of infected dogs. Housing in individual cages reduce the spread of organism.

Dogs from infected kennels should not be sold or used for breeding, Repeated testing and removal of infected animals, combine with quarantine, has been used to eradicate Brucellosis from some kennels. There is no vaccine for Brucella canis.