Brucellosisisaninfectiousdiseasecausedbysmallellipsoid,gram-negativebacteria.Therearefourdifferentgerms:Br.abortus,Br.melitensis,Br.suisandBr.canis.Peopleareinfectedbycontactwithinfectedanimalsorbyswallowingmeatorunpasteurizedmilkfrominfectedanimals.Infectedhumansarenotcontagious.Theincubationperiodmaytakeonetothreeweeks,insomecasestwomonths.Br.abortusandBr.melitensiscauseBang’sDisease,andraralytheMaltaFever.TypicalsymptomsforBang’sDiseaseareperiodicallyoccuringfever,splenomegalyandswellingoflymphnodes.Insomecasesaninflammationofdifferentjointsandorgansoccurs.MaltaFeveriscausedbytheepidemictypeofbrucellosis.Infectionalmostalwaysleadstoamanifestillness.BrucellaalsocancauseBrucellaHepatitis.Inaddition,itispossIBLethatthereisalinkbetweenaninfectionwithBrucellaandtheoutbreakofmultiplesclerosis.
Duringanantibiotictherapyorachronicinfection,thedetectionofBrucellaspec.inblood,urine,cerebrospinalfluid,sputumorotherbodyfluidsmaybenegative.SEROlogicalmethodslikeagglutination,complementfixationreaction,BrucellaCoombstestandELISAaregoodalternatives.Tomonitorthestatusofinfectionantibodiescanserveasausualindication.Duringthefirstdays,IgMistheonlyimmunoglobulinappearing.Asthediseaseprogresses,IgMrecedesquantitativelyandIgGbecomespredominant.Inchronicbrucellosis.IgGmaybeproducedforextendedperiods.