The mechanism of transmission was not determined until 1905, when Temi Żammit found that apparently healthy goats could infect humans with M. melitensis via their milk.
O mecanismo de transmisión non foi determinado ata 1905, cando Temi Żammit atopou que as cabras aparentemente saudables podían infectar a humanos por M. melitensis a través do seu leite.