Brucellosis Infection

In News

The Kerala government launched preventive measures after a few cases of brucellosis, a zoonotic infection, was detected in animals.

Brucellosis Disease

• It is a bacterial disease caused by various Brucella species, which mainly infect cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs.
• It is also called Malta fever or Mediterranean fever.

Human transmission

• Last year around 3,245 people in China’s Gansu province were diagnosed with Brucellosis.
• Humans can get infected under if they
  • Directly contact with infected animals
  • Eat or drink contaminated animal products
  • Inhaling airborne agents carrying bacteria.
• According to the WHO, most cases of the disease are caused by ingesting unpasteurised milk or cheese from infected goats or sheep.
• The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is “extremely rare”.

Symptoms

• Includes fever, sweats, malaise, anorexia, headache and muscle pain.
• Others include recurrent fevers, arthritis, swelling of the testicles and scrotum area, swelling of the heart, neurologic symptoms, chronic fatigue, depression and swelling of the liver or spleen.

Treatment & Prevention

• It is usually treated with antibiotics, including rifampin and doxycycline.
• Avoiding raw/unpasteurised dairy products and taking safety precautions such as wearing rubber gloves, gowns or aprons, when handling animals or working in a laboratory can help prevent or reduce the risk of getting brucellosis.
• Other preventive measures include cooking meat properly, vaccinating domestic animals, etc.
• To control the disease, the WHO recommends the vaccination of cattle and, in some cases, testing and culling.

Brucellosis in the Context of India

• In India, expansion of animal industries and urbanization, and the lack of hygienic measures in animal husbandry and in food handling making high ground for its spread.
• It is also endemic in India causing huge economic losses to the dairy industry due to:
  • Infertility
  • Abortion
  • The birth of weak offsprings and
  • Reduced productivity.
• India has the world’s largest livestock population of 125-crore plus heads, but cattle productivity is low, and animal diseases are a major concern.

India’s Efforts

National Control Programme on Brucellosis

• The Programme envisages 100% vaccination coverage of female cattle and buffalo calves (4-8 months of age) once in their lifetimes.
• It is a 100% centrally funded programme.
• The government has planned to immunize four crore female calves in India in the first phase against Brucella through vaccination.
• In India, calf-hood vaccination is practised using live attenuated B. abortus S19 strain for control of the disease.
• B. abortus S19 strain is a very strong immunogen and provides lifelong immunity.

Source: TH