Brucellosis, also known as Brucella disease, is an infectious disease between animals and can be easily transmitted to humans. Therefore, you should develop a good habit of washing your hands after contact with dogs. This disease can cause miscarriage or stillbirth in female dogs, and can also make pets feel cold and nauseous, so be careful to prevent it.
1. Basic knowledge of Brucella
1. Human-dog contact transmission
Brucella can be transmitted by contact between humans and dogs, and humans will experience undulating fever after infection. In summer, as people wear less clothing and their limbs are exposed, they are very likely to be scratched by dogs, so we must be wary of canine brucellosis.
2. High incidence of infection
Dogs are highly susceptible to Brucella, with an infection rate of up to 26.6%. It takes about three weeks for the bacteria to settle in reproductive tissues after infection, and then begin to multiply and be excreted continuously, which can last from several months to several years.
3. Brucella incubation period
The incubation period is 1 to 3 weeks. The clinical characteristics are slow onset, long-term fever, sweating, weakness, body pain and joint pain. The acute symptoms usually subside within 3 to 6 months.
4. Clinical manifestations of infection
Canine brucellosis has various clinical manifestations, some are listless and emaciated, some are lame and vomiting, and some have miscarriage and infertility. Because most sick dogs lack obvious clinical symptoms, they are not easy to be detected.
Brucella can make dogs listless, vomit and have diarrhea, so you should be careful about the infectious agent.
(1) Damage to skin and mucous membranes
When people come into contact with domestic pet dogs, Brucella can enter the human body through damaged skin, mucous membranes, digestive tract or respiratory tract, causing infection or illness.
(2) Chills and general discomfort
After humans are infected with canine Brucella, the acute symptoms are mainly undulating fever, that is, a fever period of 2-3 weeks, followed by another fever after 1 to 2 weeks, and this cycle repeats with chills, general discomfort, and weight loss.
(3) Headache, nausea and vomiting
Headache, nausea, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain, migratory pain in large joints may also occur. Joint lesions are most common in the hip joints. They can also cause eye damage and endocarditis.
2. Routes of Brucella Infection
1. Brucella infection source
The main sources of infection are sick livestock, including sheep, goats, cattle, buffalo, cows and pigs. Other animals such as dogs, deer, horses, camels, etc. can also be sources of infection.
2. Transmission routes of pathogens
Pathogens enter the human body mainly through contact with the skin and mucous membranes on the body surface, such as delivering lambs, slaughtering sick animals, skinning, milking, etc.
3. Infection in the digestive tract
Brucella can be transmitted through the digestive tract, such as by eating raw milk, dairy products, or contaminated drinking water and meat containing Brucella. Inhalation of aerosols contaminated with Brucella dust is also one of the transmission routes.
4. Immunity after illness
The general population is susceptible and has a certain immunity after the disease. Chronic brucellosis, especially in bovine cases, is often misdiagnosed as colds and joint diseases due to many vague complaints.
3. Key points for diagnosis of Brucella
1. Abortion and stillbirth in female dogs
Clinical diagnosis is generally easy. For example, if a pregnant female dog is found to have abdominal pain before the full term and to have passed a living or dead fetus, the diagnosis can be confirmed.
2. Symptoms of partial abortion
Sometimes a female dog will miscarry only one or several of her fetuses, and the remaining fetuses may continue to grow and be born at full term. This is called a partial miscarriage.
3. Abnormal secretions in dogs
It should be noted that in most cases, the abortion process and the expulsion of the fetus cannot necessarily be seen, but only vaginal discharge can be seen; hidden abortion occurs in early pregnancy; because the embryo has been absorbed by the uterus, there are no abnormal changes in the vagina.
4. Comprehensive health check
If these situations occur, the female dog should be given a comprehensive examination to first check her nutritional status and whether she has other diseases, and then carefully palpate the abdominal wall to determine whether there is still a fetus in the uterus.
Expert explanation: It is very important to diagnose the cause of miscarriage. Only by finding out the cause can we determine what treatment to use for the sick dog.
4. Prevention of Brucellosis
1. Strengthen dog quarantine
Strengthen quarantine of imported dogs and breeding dogs, and eliminate all positive dogs to control and eliminate the prevalence of brucellosis. Strengthen personal protection to prevent being bitten or scratched by pets, and do not let animals lick wounds when people have them.
2. Get regular physical examinations
Go to the veterinary hospital regularly to have your pet checked. Detect diseases early and treat them promptly to eliminate the source of infection. Clean and disinfect your pet’s living environment regularly and bathe your pet frequently.
3. Pay attention to personal hygiene
Pay attention to personal hygiene and wash your hands promptly after handling pet excrement. The bacteria are a disease that is transmitted between humans and dogs. If a dog is infected with the disease, it can also be transmitted to humans.
