Brucellosis

Kent Vicente
Etiology
• Disease in pigs is caused by

• Brucella suis biovars 1–3. 

• swine may also be infected by B.

abortus and B. melitensis in areas
where brucellosis is enzootic in
cattle and small ruminants,
respectivel
 Epidemiology
• Biovars 1 and 3 of B. suis have also been
reported in domestic swine in many parts of
Central and Southeast Asia including China,
India, Indonesia, the Philippines 

• Infection of swine in the Philippines was

introduced from California in 1918.

• Disease in pigs is transmitted by

• contact, 

• venereally

• Ingestion of uterine discharges (main route)

Epidemiology
• Infected boars may transmit
the disease during service
• Domestic or feral swine are
the reservoir host for
Brucella suis,
Pathogenesis

• After exposure to B. suis, pigs

develop a bacteremia that may
persist for as long as 90 days.
• During and after the bacteremia,
localization may occur in various
tissues.
Clinical Findings

• Signs depend considerably on the site(s)

of localization. 
• In endemically infected herds, only mild to
moderate clinical signs
Clinical Findings

• Common manifestations are 

• Abortion, (sows)
• Irregular Estrus (sows)
• temporary or permanent sterility, (boars, sows, gilts) 
• Perinatal mortality (piglets)
 Clinical Findings

• orchitis, lameness, (boars)

• posterior paralysis, spondylitis,
• and occasionally 
• metritis and abscess formation.

Boar. Unilateral testicular enlargement due to Brucella suis

infection. (Photograph from Correa, WM).
Necropsy
• Metritis,
• orchitis,
• Purulent synovitis
• Osteomyelitis.(typically observed in the lumbar
vertebra)
Necropsy
• Granulomatous inflammation and
foci of caseous necrosis in uterus 
Diagnostic Confirmation
• Direct Diagnosis
• Bacterial culture of lymph nodes
is the definitive method
Diagnostic Confirmation
• Internationally accepted tests for
swine brucellosis include 
• ELISAs, 
• RBT, Rose Bengal test
• FPA, Fluorescence Polarization Assay
• Buffered plate agglutination test,
• CFT. Complement Fixation Test
Treatment

• None satisfactory 
Control

• Slaughter eradication. 

• Vaccination
No suitable vaccine is available
 
References

• Topacio, T. E. O. D. U. L. O. (1937). Brueella Infection (Infectious

Abortion) of Swine in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Science, 63,
265-77.
• The Merck veterinary manual (Vol. 2825). Kenilworth, NJ: Merck.

• Radostits, O. M., Gay, C. C., Hinchcliff, K. W., & Constable, P. D. (Eds.).

(2006). Veterinary Medicine E-Book: A textbook of the diseases of cattle,
horses, sheep, pigs and goats. ERadostitslsevier Health Sciences.