In the United States, there are less than 0.5 cases per 100,000
population. Most incidences are reported from California, Florida,
Texas, and Virginia. For previous 10 years, approximately 100
cases per year have been reported which is required by law.
Brucellosis is highly infectious via the aerosol route. It is
estimated that inhalation of only 10 to 100 bacteria is sufficient
to cause disease in man. Though rarely fatal, it is very debilitating
and disabling, often producing relapses. For these reasons, brucellosis
is a prime biowarfare agent.
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Symptoms
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Incubation is generally 3-4 weeks but may be as short as 1 week
or as long as several months.
"Flu-like" symptoms including chills, sweats, headache, fatigue,
loss of appetite and muscle or joint aches. A cough occurs in
15-25%, but the chest x-ray usually is normal. Symptoms often
last 3-6 months and occasionally for longer than a year.
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| How does it spread? |
Human-to-human transmission has occurred after sexual activity
with an infected partner and via tissue transplants. Most cases
are associated with eating unpasteurized dairy products, or with
slaughter house and veterinary work.
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Diagnosis
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Diagnosis can't be made quickly. Blood cultures require a 2 month
incubation period. Bone marrow cultures produce a higher yield.
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Treatment
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Antibiotic treatment usually consists of doxycycline + rifampin
or doxycycline in combination with other medications for 6 weeks.
Specifics on treatment can be found here
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Vaccine
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None available for people, but they are available for animals.
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Mortality
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Fatalities aren't common - seen in about 5% of untreated cases
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Sources:
CDC; http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/brucellosis_t.htm
Federation of American Scientists; http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/bw/agent.htm
USAMRIID's Medical Management of Biological Casualties Handbood;
Fourth Edition February 2001; pages 9-10; http://usamriid.detrick.army.mil/education/bluebook/bluebook.pdf |