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SECTION I - INFECTIOUS AGENT
NAME: Brucella spp. (B. abortus, B. canis, B. melitensis, B. suis)
SYNONYM OR CROSS REFERENCE: Brucellosis, Undulant Fever, Bang's Disease.
CHARACTERISTICS: Small gram negative rods, non-motile, urease positive.
SECTION II - HEALTH HAZARD
PATHOGENICITY: All Brucella isolates are potentially pathogenic to humans; systemic bacterial disease
with acute or insidious onset; intermittent fever, headache, weakness, profuse sweating, chills, arthralgia; localized
suppurative infections; subclinical infections are frequent; <2% case fatality rate for untreated cases; may
have long recovery period.
EPIDEMIOLOGY: Worldwide, especially in Mediterranean countries of Europe and Africa; India, Mexico, South
America: common in those who eat raw caribou; occurrence depends on extent of animal Brucellosis.
HOST RANGE: Humans, cattle, swine, goats, sheep, reindeer, caribou, dogs, and coyotes.
INFECTIOUS DOSE: Unknown
MODE OF TRANSMISSION: Contact with infected tissues, blood, urine, vaginal discharge, aborted fetuses; ingestion
of raw milk or cheese from infected animals; contact in abattoirs; laboratory-acquired.
INCUBATION PERIOD: Highly variable; 5-30 days; occasionally several months.
COMMUNICABILITY: No evidence of person to person transmission.
SECTION III - DISSEMINATION
RESERVOIR: Most common: swine (B. suis), cattle (B. abortus) and other animals.
ZOONOSIS: Yes, especially from cattle and swine.
VECTORS: None.
SECTION IV - VIABILITY
DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY: Susceptible to tetracycline and streptomycin or TW-SMX; resistant to penicillins
and cephalosporins.
SUSCEPTIBILITY TO DISINFECTANTS: Susceptible to many disinfectants - 1% sodium hypochlorite (20% commercial
bleach), 70% ethanol, iodine/alcohol solutions, glutaraldehyde, formaldehyde.
PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: Susceptible to moist heat (121o C for at least 15 min.) and dry heat (160
o - 170 o C for at least 1 hour).
SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Carcasses and organs - up to 135 days- paper - 32 days; soil - 125 days; blood at
41 o C - 180 days.
SECTION V - MEDICAL
SURVEILLANCE: Monitor for symptoms: confirm by serological testing.
FIRST AID/TREATMENT: Antibiotic therapy, typically with doxycycline plus gentamicin or streptomycin.
IMMUNIZATION: Vaccines not available for use in humans.
PROPHYLAXIS: None.
SECTION VI - LABORATORY HAZARDS
LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS: Most commonly reported infection; 423 cases up to 1976 with 5 deaths.
SOURCES/SPECIMENS: Cultures, blood, tissues, placentas, fetuses, urine, uterine discharges.
PRIMARY HAZARDS: Exposure to aerosols; direct skin contact with cultures of infectious specimens from animals;
ingestion (mouth pipetting); accidental inoculation; sprays into eyes, nose and mouth.
SPECIAL HAZARDS: Most cases have involved exposure to Brucella spp. being grown in large quantities.
SECTION VII - RECOMMENDED PRECAUTIONS
CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS: Biosafety level 2 practices for activities involving clinical materials of
human or animal origin; Biosafety level 3 containment, practices and facilities for all manipulations of cultures
and for experimental animal studies.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING: Laboratory coat; gloves when direct contact with infectious materials is unavoidable;
gloves and gown (tight wrists and tie in back) for work with infectious material in biosafety cabinet.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS: All procedures likely to generate aerosols should be carried out in a biosafety cabinet.
SECTION VIII - HANDLING INFORMATION
SPILLS: Allow aerosols to settle; wearing protective clothing, gently cover spill with paper towels and
apply 1% sodium hypochlorite (20% commercial bleach), starting at perimeter and working towards the center; allow
sufficient contact time (30 min.) before clean up.
DISPOSAL: Decontaminate before disposal; steam sterilization, incineration, chemical disinfection.
STORAGE: In sealed containers that are well labeled.
Date prepared: October 11, 1997 Prepared by: Canadian Office of Biosafety Information edited by the Colorado State
University Office of Biosafety; June 16, 1998.
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