BRUCELLOSIS

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Causative Agent(s):

Mainly Brucella abortus; also, Brucella melitensis in some countries. B. suis may infect cows but probably does not cause clinical disease neither is it contagious from cow to cow.

Clinical Presentation and Epidemiology:

The most obvious clinical presentation is abortion. Other signs are reduced milk yield, still born, weak calves, retained placenta, chronic metritis with uterine discharges. In male, epididymitis or testicular abscessation may occur. There is orchitis seen as enlarged testes. Some cattle may have arthritis and bursitis presenting with the characteristic hygroma especially in older animals.

 

 

Diagnostic Considerations

Diagnosis is based on bacteriology or serology.

1. abortus can be recovered from the placenta but more conveniently in pure culture from the stomach and lungs of an aborted foetus.

Serum agglutination tests have been the standard diagnostic method. Agglutination tests may also detect antibodies in milk, whey, and semen.

 

An ELISA has been developed to detect antibodies in milk and serum. When the standard plate or tube serum agglutination test is used, complete agglutination at dilutions of 1:100 or more in serum samples of nonvaccinated animals, and of 1:200 of animals vaccinated at 4–12 months of age, are considered positive, and the animals are classified as reactors.

Other tests that may be used are complement fixation, rivanol precipitation, and acidified antigen procedures.

The OIE prescribed test for milk of cattle and small ruminants is Skin test. The skin test is an allergic test that detects the specific cellular immune response induced by Brucella spp infection.

Management and Treatment

There is no treatment for Brucellosis in animals.

It is controlled by official vaccination and entire herd testing with slaughter of reactors.