BRUCELLOSIS

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by small, gram negative rod shaped, non motile, non sporing and intracellar coccobacilli of genus Brucella.
It is a zoonotic disease meaning that it is primarily an infection of animals but can be transmitted to human.
Different species of Brucella bacteria mostly infect domestic livestock including:
1. Cattle (B. abortus).
2. Sheep and goats (B. melitensis).
3. Pigs (B.suis).
4. Dogs which can also be infected with (B. canis).
All the four species mentioned can infect humans, B. melitensis is thought to cause the most serious disease.
Other names of brucellosis: (Undulant fever, Malta fever and Mediterranean fever).
It is a worldwide infection traditionally associated with farm workers, veterinarians and persons whose occupation includes packing of meat or dairy products.
It affects people of all age groups and of both sexes. Although there has been great progress in controlling the disease in many countries, there still remain regions where the infection persists in domestic animals and transmission to the human population frequently occurs.