Brucellosis

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can affect many animals and humans.

1.What is brucellosis and what causes it?

Brucellosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria called Brucella (bru-CELL-a). Many
different animal species and humans can become ill. Brucellosis is primarily a reproductive disease
in animals, but it can also cause reoccurring fevers, arthritis or udder infection (mastitis).

2.What animals get brucellosis?

Brucellosis can affect sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses, and dogs. Brucellosis can also affect rats
and wild animals including deer, bison, elk, moose, camels, water buffalo, and marine mammals.

3.How can my animal get brucellosis?

In animals, Brucella are usually spread through contact with infected birthing tissues and fluids
(e.g., placenta, aborted fetuses, fetal fluids, vaginal discharges). The bacteria can also be found in
the milk, blood, urine and semen of infected animals. Animals can get the bacteria by ingestion
(oral), direct contact with mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth), or breaks in the skin. Brucella
can also be transmitted by contaminated objects (fomites) such as, equipment, clothing, shoes, hay,
feed or water. Some animals are carriers; they will have the bacteria but show no signs of illness.
These animals can shed the bacteria into the environment for long periods of time, infecting other
animals in the herd.

4.How does brucellosis affect my animal?

Brucellosis causes reproductive problems (e.g. abortions, stillbirth, infertility) in most species of
animals. Other signs can include arthritis in cows and pigs, mastitis and lameness in goats, and
oozing skin lesions in horses (“fistulous withers”).

5.Can I get brucellosis?

Yes. People can become infected by eating or drinking (oral) raw milk or unpasteurized milk
products that contain the Brucella bacteria. Direct contact or aerosol exposure to infected animal
fluids are additional ways to be infected. People who work with animals (e.g., livestock producers,
veterinarians) may be at higher risk of exposure to Brucella. Infection in people causes flu-like
signs (fever, night sweats, headaches, back pain). Arthritis (joint pain) and re-occurring fevers may
occur with long term infection. Rarely, cases of brucellosis can involve the nervous system, eyes, or
heart.

6.How can I protect my animals from brucellosis?

Brucella can survive for months in the environment under optimum conditions but can be destroyed
by heat and some disinfectants. Thoroughly clean and disinfect areas exposed to infected animals,
their urine, blood, milk, or discharges. Keep sick animals away from other animals to avoid
spreading the disease. In the United States, a vaccination program is used to control brucellosis in
cattle.
7.How Do You test for Brucellosis?

Doctors usually confirm a diagnosis of brucellosis by testing blood or bone marrow for the
brucella bacteria or by testing blood for antibodies to the bacteria. To help detect complications of
brucellosis, your doctor may order additional tests, including: X-rays. X-rays can reveal changes in
your bones and joints.

Mastitis
Mastitis is the inflammation of the mammary gland and udder tissue.

Cause
It usually occurs as an immune response to bacterial invasion of the teat canal by variety of
bacterial sources present on the farm (commonly through bedding or contaminated teat dips), and
can also occur as a result of chemical, mechanical, or thermal injury to the cow's udder.

Mastitis is a multifactoral disease, closely related to the production system and environment that
cows are kept in. Mastitis risk factors or disease determinants can be classified into three groups:
host, pathogen and environmental determinants.

Symptoms
Subclinical: Few symptoms of subclinical mastitis appear, although it is present in most dairy herds.

Somatic cell counts measure milk quality and can be used as an indicator of mastitis prevalence.

Clinical mastitis: The most obvious symptoms of clinical mastitis in the udder are swelling, heat,
hardness, redness or pain.

Milk takes on a watery appearance, flakes, clots or pus is often present.

A reduction in milk yields, increases in body temperature, lack of appetite, and a reduction in
mobility due to the pain of a swollen udder are also common signs.

Treatment
NSAID are widely used for the treatment of acute mastitis. Aspirin, flunixin meglumine,
flurbiprofen, carprofen, ibuprofen, and ketoprofen have been studied as treatments for experimental
coliform mastitis or endotoxin-induced mastitis. Orally administered aspirin should be used with
caution in acute coliform mastitis because it may lead to severe rumen atony.
Prevention
1.Hygienic teat management: which includes good housing management, effective teat
preparation and disinfection for good milk hygiene, teat health and disease control.
2.Prompt identification and treatment of clinical mastitis cases: including the use of the most
appropriate treatment for the symptoms.
3.Dry cow management and therapy: where cows are dried off abruptly and teats are cleaned
scrupulously before dry cow antibiotics are administered, including the use of teat-end
sealants if appropriate.
4.Culling chronically affected cows: cows that become impossible to cure and represent a
reservoir of infection for the whole herd.
5.Regular testing and maintenance of the milking machine: with regular, recommended
teatcup liner replacement and milking machine servicing and attention paid to items which
must be checked on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
6.Good record keeping: of all aspects of mastitis treatment, dry cow therapy, milking
machine servicing, Somatic Cell Counts and Bactoscan results, and clinical mastitis cases.

Diagnostics
It’s important to identify the pathogen causing the mastitis infection because different categories of
pathogens require different mastitis management strategies. Without taking the time to determine a
diagnosis, there is no way to know if a given antibiotic will work. However, once you know the
pathogen, a dairy farmer can work with his or her veterinarian to develop a mastitis control program
that fits your specific operation.
Overview of Testing Methods

Identification of Identification of
Test Fast Reliability Test location Milk sample type
mastitic milk pathogen

California ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ Farm Fresh milk

Mastitis Test

Somatic cell ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ Lab Fresh milk

count

ELISA ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓ Lab Fresh, Frozen, Preserved

Bacterial culture ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ Lab Fresh

PCR ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓✓ Lab/Farm Fresh, Frozen, Preserved

30%to 40% of milk loss is due to Brucellosis and mastitis.

Now its easy to Diagnose Brucellosis And Mastitis (Clinical and Sub-Clinical)
with in 2-3 hour through RT-PCR.
This is DNA Based technology to easily Diagnose.

Take Blood/Milk/Urine sample

↓
Extract DNA
↓
Use Brucella/Mastitis kit
↓
Run On RT-PCR Machine
↓
Take result

Process of Diagnosis

DNA sample pipetting PCR Tubes

results in form RT PCR Sample tubes

of graph Machine inside PCR