Brucellosis Brucellosis , also called Bang ' s disease , Gibraltar fever , Malta fever , Maltese fever , Mediterranean fever , rock fever , or undulant fever , is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat from infected animals , or close contact with their secretions . Transmission from human to human , for example through sexual contact or from mother to child , is exceedingly rare , but possible . " Brucella " spp . are small , Gram - negative , non - motile , non - spore - forming rods , which function as facultative intracellular parasites that cause chronic disease , which usually persists for life . Symptoms include profuse sweating and joint and muscle pain . Brucellosis has been recognized in animals including humans since the 19th century . History and nomenclature . The disease now called brucellosis , under the name " Malta fever " , first came to the attention of British medical officers in Malta during the Crimean War in the 1850s . The causal relationship between organism and disease was first established by Dr . David Bruce in 1887 . In 1897 , Danish veterinarian Bernhard Bang isolated " Brucella abortus " as the agent , and the additional name " Bang ' s disease " was assigned . In modern usage , " Bang ' s disease " is often shortened to just " Bangs " when ranchers discuss the disease or vaccine . Maltese doctor and archaeologist Sir Themistocles Zammit earned a knighthood for identifying unpasteurized milk as the major source of the pathogen in 1905 , and it has since become known as Malta Fever . In cattle this disease is also known as contagious abortion and infectious abortion . The popular name " undulant fever " originates from the characteristic undulance ( or " wave - like " nature ) of the fever which rises and falls over weeks in untreated patients . In the 20th century , this name , along with " brucellosis " ( after " Brucella " , named for Dr Bruce ) , gradually replaced the 19th century names " Mediterranean fever " and " Malta fever " . In 1989 , neurologists in Saudi Arabia discovered neurobrucellosis , a neurological involvement in brucellosis . The following obsolete names have previously been applied to brucellosis : Brucellosis in animals . Species infecting domestic livestock are " B . melitensis " ( goats and sheep , see Brucella melitensis ) , " B . suis " ( pigs , see Swine brucellosis ) , " B . abortus " ( cattle and bison ) , " B . ovis " ( sheep ) , and " B . canis " ( dogs ) . " B . abortus " also infects bison and elk in North America and " B . suis " is endemic in caribou . " Brucella " species have also been isolated from several marine mammal species ( pinnipeds and cetaceans ) . Brucellosis in cattle . The bacterium " Brucella abortus " is the principal cause of brucellosis in cattle . The bacteria are shed from an infected animal at or around the time of calving or abortion . Once exposed , the likelihood of an animal becoming infected is variable , depending on age , pregnancy status , and other intrinsic factors of the animal , as well as the amount of bacteria to which the animal was exposed . The most common clinical signs of cattle infected with " Brucella abortus " are high incidences of abortions , arthritic joints and retained after - birth . There are two main causes for spontaneous abortion in animals . The first is due to erythritol , which can promote infections in the fetus and placenta . Second is due to the lack of anti - Brucella activity in the amniotic fluid . Males can also harbor the bacteria in their reproductive tracts , namely seminal vesicle s , ampullae , testicle s , and epididymides . Dairy herds in the USA are tested at least once a year with the Brucella Milk Ring Test ( BRT ) . Cows that are confirmed to be infected are often killed . In the United States , veterinarian s are required to vaccinate all young stock , thereby further reducing the chance of zoonotic transmission . This vaccination is usually referred to as a " calfhood " vaccination . Most cattle receive a tattoo in their ear serving as proof of their vaccination status . This tattoo also includes the last digit of the year they were born . Canada declared their cattle herd brucellosis - free on September 19 , 1985 . Brucellosis ring testing of milk and cream , as well as testing of slaughter cattle , ended April 1 , 1999 . Monitoring continues through auction market testing , standard disease reporting mechanisms , and testing of cattle being qualified for export to countries other than the USA . The first state – federal cooperative efforts towards eradication of brucellosis caused by " Brucella abortus " in the U . S . began in 1934 . Brucellosis in Ireland . Ireland was declared free of brucellosis on 1 July 2009 . The disease had troubled the country ' s farmers and veterinarians for several decades . The Irish government submitted an application to the European Commission , which verified that Ireland had been liberated . Brendan Smith , Ireland ' s Minister for Agriculture , Fisheries and Food , said the elimination of brucellosis was " a landmark in the history of disease eradication in Ireland " . Ireland ' s Department of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food intends to reduce its brucellosis eradication programme now that eradication has been confirmed . Brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone area . Wild bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area ( GYA ) are the last remaining reservoir of " Brucella abortus " in the U . S . The recent transmission of brucellosis from cattle to elk in Idaho and Wyoming illustrates how brucellosis in domestic cattle around the GYA may negatively affect wildlife . Eliminating brucellosis from this area is a challenge , because these animals are on public land and there are many viewpoints involved in the management of these animals . Brucellosis in dogs . The causative agent of brucellosis in dogs is " Brucella canis " . It is transmitted to other dogs through breeding and contact with aborted fetuses . Brucellosis can occur in humans that come in contact with infected aborted tissue or semen . The bacteria in dogs normally infect the genitals and lymphatic system , but can also spread to the eye , kidney , and intervertebral disc ( causing discospondylitis ) . Symptoms of brucellosis in dogs include abortion in female dogs and scrotal inflammation and orchitis ( inflammation of the testicles ) in males . Fever is uncommon . Infection of the eye can cause uveitis , and infection of the intervertebral disc can cause pain or weakness . Blood testing of the dogs prior to breeding can prevent the spread of this disease . It is treated with antibiotics , as with humans , but it is difficult to cure . Brucellosis in humans . Symptoms . Brucellosis in humans is usually associated with the consumption of unpasteurized milk and soft cheeses made from the milk of infected animals , primarily goats , infected with " Brucella melitensis " and with occupational exposure of laboratory workers , veterinarians and slaughterhouse workers . Some vaccines used in livestock , most notably " B . abortus " strain 19 , also cause disease in humans if accidentally injected . Brucellosis induces inconstant fevers , sweating , weakness , anaemia , headaches , depression and muscular and bodily pain . The symptoms are like those associated with many other diseases , but with emphasis on muscular pain and sweating . The duration of the disease can vary from a few weeks to many months or even years . In the first stage of the disease , septicaemia occurs and leads to the classic triad of undulant fevers , sweating ( often with characteristic smell , likened to wet hay ) and migratory arthralgia and myalgia . In blood tests , is characteristic the leukopenia and anaemia , some elevation of AST and ALT and positivity of classic Bengal Rose and Huddleson reactions . This complex is , at least in Portugal , known as the Malta fever . During episodes of Malta fever , melitococcemia ( presence of brucellae in blood ) can usually be demonstrated by means of blood culture in tryptose medium or Albini medium . If untreated , the disease can give origin to focalizations or become chronic . The focalizations of brucellosis occur usually in bones and joints and spondylodiscitis of lumbar spine accompanied by sacroiliitis is very characteristic of this disease . Orchitis is also frequent in men . Diagnosis of brucellosis relies on : The disease ' s sequelae are highly variable and may include granulomatous hepatitis , arthritis , spondylitis , anaemia , leukopenia , thrombocytopenia , meningitis , uveitis , optic neuritis , endocarditis and various neurological orders collectively known as neurobrucellosis . Treatment and prevention . Antibiotics like tetracycline s , rifampicin and the aminoglycoside s streptomycin and gentamicin are effective against Brucella bacteria . However , the use of more than one antibiotic is needed for several weeks , because the bacteria incubate within cell s . The gold standard treatment for adults is daily intramuscular injections of streptomycin 1 g for 14 days and oral doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 45 days ( concurrently ) . Gentamicin 5 mg / kg by intramuscular injection once daily for 7 days is an acceptable substitute when streptomycin is not available or difficult to obtain . Another widely used regimen is doxycycline plus rifampin twice daily for at least 6 weeks . This regimen has the advantage of oral administration . A triple therapy of doxycycline , together with rifampin and cotrimoxazole has been used successfully to treat neurobrucellosis . Doxycycline is able to cross the blood – brain barrier , but requires the addition of two other drugs to prevent relapse . Ciprofloxacin and co - trimoxazole therapy is associated with an unacceptably high rate of relapse . In brucellic endocarditis surgery is required for an optimal outcome . Even with optimal antibrucellic therapy relapses still occur in 5 – 10 percent of patients with Malta fever . The main way of preventing brucellosis is by using fastidious hygiene in producing raw milk products , or by pasteurizing all milk that is to be ingested by human beings , either in its unaltered form or as a derivate , such as cheese . Experiments have shown that cotrimoxazol and rifampin are both safe drugs to use in treatment of pregnant women who have Brucellosis . Biological warfare . In 1954 , " B . suis " became the first agent weaponized by the United States at its Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas . " Brucella " species survive well in aerosols and resist drying . " Brucella " and all other remaining biological weapons in the U . S . arsenal were destroyed in 1971 – 72 when the U . S . offensive biological weapons ( BW ) program was discontinued . The United States BW program focused on three agents of the " Brucella " group : Agent US was in advanced development by the end of World War II . When the U . S . Air Force ( USAF ) wanted a biological warfare capability , the Chemical Corps offered Agent US in the M114 bomblet , based after the 4 - pound bursting bomblet developed for anthrax in World War II . Though the capability was developed , operational testing indicated that the weapon was less than desirable , and the USAF termed it an interim capability until replaced by a more effective biological weapon . The main drawbacks of the M114 with Agent US was that it was incapacitating ( the USAF wanted " killer " agents ) , the storage stability was too low to allow for storing at forward air bases , and the logistical requirements to neutralize a target were far higher than originally anticipated , requiring unreasonable logistical air support . Agents US and AB had a median infective dose of 500 org / person , and AM was 300 org / person . The rate - of - action was believed to be 2 weeks , with a duration of action of several months . The lethality estimate was based on epidemiological information at 1 – 2 % . AM was always believed to be a more virulent disease , and a 3 % fatality rate was expected .