Brucellosis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments!
Brucellosis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments that we should all be aware of. In addition, brucellosis , also known as undulant fever is a zoonosis caused by Brucella bacteria, that is, it is an infectious disease characteristic of animals accidentally transmitted to humans.
This bacterium can infect different species of mammals, including: dogs, goats, pigs, cattle, cattle and camels. It can infect humans when it enters your body through broken skin, mucous membranes (nose, mouth, eyes), contact with meat, blood, urine, etc., contaminated animals or digestive milk, cheese or non-dairy products. pasteurized.
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Brucellosis is currently not a common disease, workers who are in direct and constant contact with animals or meat (veterinarians, farmers, slaughterhouse workers, slaughterhouses, etc.), are at greater risk of contracting the disease.
Main Causes of Brucellosis: The cause of brucellosis infection by bacteria of the genus Brucella, mainly the species of Brucella melitensis which is present in cattle, sheep and goats.
Infectiousness occurs through contact of mucous membranes (such as the mouth, root and eyes), or wounds and skin lesions with fluids from an infected animal, e.g. blood, urine, feces, vaginal fluids, aborted fetuses, placenta , and so on.
Also due to the consumption of contaminated products of animal origin, mainly raw milk or dairy products made from unpasteurized raw milk. In general, cases of person-to-person infection usually do not occur.
Main Symptoms of Brucellosis: The incubation period of the disease, that is, the period that varies between the time of infection until the first symptoms appear, that is, between 1 and 6 weeks.
- Back pain
- Abdominal pain
- Headache (severe occipital and frontal headache)
- joint pain
- Undulating, intermittent, with high peak fever (39° and 40° between) in the afternoon, evening
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Chills
- Lack of appetite
- vomiting
- Weight loss
- sweats
- Swollen lymph nodes can enlarge and become abscesses
- Torticollis
- Muscle pain and spasm
Diagnosis of Brucellosis: Early diagnosis and treatment of brucellosis are essential for managing the disease. It is important to inform the doctor of suspected suffering if you have been in contact with animals or animal products that could be contaminated. The diagnosis is made through the following tests:
- Uroculture
- bone marrow culture
- Blood culture for pathogen isolation
- CSF Culture
- Serology for blood antigen brucellosis
- feverish cold agglutinins
- Serum immunoelectrophoresis
- quantitative immunoglobulins
Treatments For Brucellosis: The treatment involves the administration of antibiotics for a period that can last two months and the duration of the clinical picture rest.
Tetracycline antibiotics are (oxytetracycline or doxycycline, the latter being better tolerated at the gastric level), which are used for a period of 3 weeks, associated with rifampicin for the same time of general use.
Once the symptoms subside, the treatment is repeated every 3 or 4 months to minimize the risk of relapses. In cases where the central nervous system is affected, administration of ampicillin is recommended along with rifampicin.
Complications:
- Meningitis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Encephalitis
- Bones and joint injuries
- infective endocarditis
Brucellosis Prevention: Prevention of brucellosis in humans lies in controlling and eliminating the disease in animals, leading to widespread vaccination of livestock and the identification and removal of infected.
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Human beings by prevention should consume unpasteurized dairy products and meat handlers wear protective measures and any possible skin wound infection care. For humans there is no vaccine, so preventive immunization can only be done with animals.