Brucella
| Brucella | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Bacteria |
| Phylum: | Proteobacteria |
| Class: | Alphaproteobacteria |
| Order: | Rhizobiales |
| Family: | Brucellaceae |
| Genus: | Brucella |
| Species | |
|
B. abortus |
|
B. abortus
B. canis
B. ceti
B. inopinata
B. melitensis
B. microti
B. neotomae
B. ovis
B. pinnipedialis
B. suis
Brucella is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria, named after David Bruce (1855–1931). They are small (0.5 to 0.7 by 0.6 to 1.5 µm), nonencapsulated, nonmotile, facultatively intracellular coccobacilli.
Brucella is the cause of brucellosis, which is a zoonosis transmitted by ingesting contaminated food (such as unpasteurized milk products), direct contact with an infected animal, or inhalation of aerosols. Transmission from human to human, for example through sexual intercourse or from mother to child, is exceedingly rare, but possible. Minimum infectious exposure is between 10 and 100 organisms.
The different species of Brucella are genetically very similar, although each has a slightly different host specificity. Hence, the NCBI taxonomy includes most Brucella species under B. melitensis.
The many names of brucellosis include (human disease/animal disease):
The Italian doctor and pathologist Aldo Castellani, discovered evidence of Trypanosomas in the liquor cerebrospinalis of ill patients. Sir David Bruce isolated B. melitensis from British soldiers who died from Malta fever in Malta. After exposure to Brucella, humans generally have a two- to four-week latency period before exhibiting symptoms, which include acute undulating fever (>90% of all cases), headache, arthralgia (>50%), night sweats, fatigue, and anorexia. Later complications may include arthritis or epididymo-orchitis, spondylitis, neurobrucellosis, liver abscess formation, and endocarditis, the latter potentially fatal.
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