What is Brucellosis?
Brucellosis, also called undulant fever, Malta fever, or abortus fever, is a bacterial infection that spreads from animals to humans. It often affects people who work closely with livestock or fresh animal products, such as butchers, farmers, abattoir workers, and vendors of roasted meat (muchomo). The illness usually develops 2 to 4 weeks after exposure but can take up to 8 weeks.
You can ask your own question to a licensed healthcare provider here for free. It may take up to 7 days to get an answer. If you want a consultation in minutes, book now with Hope+ our premium and best health consultation service in Uganda.
Causes
- Brucella abortus from cattle
- Brucella canis from dogs
- Brucella melitensis from goats and sheep
- Brucella suis from pigs
Symptoms
- Fever that comes and goes (intermittent or fluctuating)
- Body aches and pains
- Orchitis (swelling and inflammation of the testes)
- Vertebrae osteomyelitis (bone infection of the spine, less common but characteristic)
Other Conditions with Similar Symptoms
- Typhoid fever
- Malaria
- Tuberculosis
- Sleeping sickness (trypanosomiasis)
- Other causes of prolonged fever
How Is Brucellosis Diagnosed?
- Blood tests such as complement fixation or agglutination tests, though interpretation can be tricky in areas where brucellosis is common
- Isolation of the bacteria from blood, bone marrow, or other tissues by culture
Treatment
- For adults and children over 8 years:
- Doxycycline 100 mg every 12 hours for 6 weeks is given
- Gentamicin 5–7 mg/kg IV daily for 2 weeks is also given
- For children under 8 years:
- Cotrimoxazole 24 mg/kg every 12 hours for 6 weeks is given
- Gentamicin 5–7 mg/kg IV in single or divided doses for 2 weeks is given
- For children under 12 years:
- Ciprofloxacin is not used
Important Cautions
- Treatment duration must be strictly followed to avoid relapse
- Doxycycline and gentamicin are not given during pregnancy
- Ciprofloxacin is contraindicated in children under 12 years
Prevention
- Drink only pasteurised or thoroughly boiled milk
- Careful handling of pigs, goats, dogs, and cattle especially if there are cuts or wounds on the skin
- Veterinary care and services for domestic animals to reduce infection risk
