Brucellosis (overview)A23.9

Marston 1861; Bruce 1887

Brucella are small, gram-negative, non-flagellated rod-shaped bacteria. A distinction is made between 3 species which cause clinically very similar clinical pictures:

• Brucella abortus (causative agent of M. Bang = Febris undulans bovina): main host is cattle (causes a feverish general infection there).
• Brucella melitensis (causative agent of Malta fever = Mediterranean fever, Febris mediterranea, Febris undulans melitensis, Bruce septicaemia, wave fever): Main hosts are sheep and goats.
• Brucella suis (porcine brucellosis = brucellosis suis): the main host is the pig.
• Brucella canis (canine brucellosis); the main host is dogs.

B. abortus: Occurs worldwide, especially in temperate and tropical areas where cattle breeding is practised.

Brucella melitensis: Mediterranean, Africa, South America.

B. suis: North America.

Incubation period 2-6 weeks. A prodromal stage with uncharacteristic general symptoms is followed by the stage of bacteremia with typical, but not obligatory, wave-like temperature spikes (undulating fever): fever slowly rising to 38-40 °C over 5-7 days, followed by an equally slow decline. These episodes can be repeated for weeks or months. In addition, hepatosplenomegaly, headaches, aching limbs and possibly gastrointestinal symptoms. The skin may show extremely varied, more or less generalized exanthema, macular, papular, psoriasiform, hemorrhagic, erythema exudativum multiforme.

In the subsequent stage of organ manifestation, formation of granulomas in lymph nodes, liver, bones and other organs. Rarely in the skin as uncharacteristic, ulcerating nodules, plate-like infiltrates, ecthymata-like efflorescences.

Therapy of choice: Doxycycline 200mg/day p.o. + Rifampicin 600-900mg/day p.o. over 6 weeks

Alternative: Combination of tetracycline (e.g. tetracycline Wolff) 2 g/day for 3-6 weeks and streptomycin (e.g. strepto-fatol) 1 g/day i.v. or i.m. for 2 weeks. For mild infections monotherapy with tetracyclines is sufficient.

Alternatively: Doxycycline 2 times/day 100 mg p.o. instead of tetracycline.

In children under 12 years of age: Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazol (e.g. Cotrimox-Wolff Saft 1/2-2 measuringsl. depending on age) for 4 weeks. Combination of this therapy with rifampicin (e.g. Eremfat) 10-15 mg/kg bw/day p.o. is recommended. Treatment with rifampicin alone is not recommended due to rapid development of resistance.

With therapy in the acute phase (start of therapy during the first 3 months) the chances of recovery are 90-100%, later 60-80%.

If therapy is started late, it is often not possible to eliminate the pathogens completely; chronic, long lasting courses with recurrent flare-ups of the disease are possible. In approx. 5% of the treated cases, relapses due to persistent sensitive pathogens occur, so that a new therapy attempt with the existing regime may be possible (antibiogram!).

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