User:Mr. Ibrahem/Brucellosis

Brucellosis is an infection caused by bacteria of the Brucella type. Symptoms may include fever, headache, muscle pains, and joint pains. Symptoms typically occur 2 to 4 weeks after exposure and may come on gradually or suddenly. Without treatment infection may lasts for years. Complications may include testicular inflammation, endocarditis, miscarriage, septic arthritis, or enlargement of the spleen.

Infections in humans are caused by four specific types of Brucella: B. abortus, B. canis, B. melitensis, and B. suis. As few as 10 to 100 organisms can result in disease. It most commonly spreads as a result of eating unpasteurized dairy products from infected animals. It may also occur from eating undercooked meat or working with infected animals. Rarely spread may occur between people. Diagnosis is usually by blood cultures or agglutination testing.

Treatment of those over the age of 8 is a combination of doxycycline and rifampin for 6 weeks. Younger people may be treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Different antibiotics may be used for complications. Exercise may speed recovery. Death occurs in 2% of cases.

Over 500,000 cases are reported a year as of 2009. In 2010, 115 cases were diagnosed in the United States. Areas more commonly affected include those bordering the Mediterranean, Central and South America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. In 2022, at least 46 cases occurred in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. George Cleghorn gave the first description of the condition in 1751. The disease is named for Sir David Bruce who led the organisation that identified the bacteria as the cause of the disease in 1886.