Brucellosis is an acute chronic disease of all types of agricultural and wild mammals, which is characterized by abortion, endometritis, orchitis bursitis, hygroma and arthritis. People suffer from brucellosis as well.
Symptoms of brucellosis in humans were first described by an ancient Greek physician - Hippocrates. Brucellosis in animals is observed in most countries of the world. This disease causes significant economic losses in agriculture, which is mainly associated with impaired reproductive ability of animals, breeding, prolonged quarantine, and the difficulty of carrying out various veterinary and economic measures to eliminate brucellosis.
Animal brucellosis
The most susceptible to brucellosis are cattle and small cattle (cows, bulls, heifers, oxen, calves, goats, sheep, etc.), as well as reindeer and pigs. Less sensitive are carnivores, horses, and camels. Of wild animals, wild boars, antelopes, moose, foxes, and rodents are most often affected. Sick animals are a source of the spread of the pathogen, especially during an abortion, during this period, brucella are excreted in large numbers with the embryo and fruit water, as well as excretions from the genitals, feces and urine.
Brucellosis: symptoms and pathogenesis
The development of brucellosis infection is divided into three stages: primary latency, generalization of the process and secondary latency.
The phase of regional infection is characterized by the penetration of the pathogen into the human or animal organism, its multiplication in regional lymph nodes, followed by entry through the lymph and blood into the parenchymatous organs. Therefore, in patients diagnosed with brucellosis, symptoms of the disease are not yet observed during this period, however, the infected macroorganism is a bacteriocarrier and can secrete brucella with feces and urine. The accumulation of specific antibodies has not yet reached the maximum diagnostic level, therefore, during this period, serological studies give negative reactions.
Various adverse conditions (stress, pregnancy) contribute to the development of the generalization phase of the process. This period is characterized by the generalization of the pathological process, bacteremia, the formation of specific brucellosis granulomas in the affected tissues and organs, while characteristic clinical signs of brucellosis develop.
The causative agent enters the body through an alimentary route, and infection can also occur through the mucous membranes, conjunctiva, and also through the skin. With the penetration and reproduction of brucella in the endometrium, inflammatory processes develop that lead to malnutrition of the embryo, its death and abortion. Thus, in patients diagnosed with brucellosis, the symptoms of the disease can manifest themselves in the form of necrotic phenomena developing in various tissues and organs, causing orchitis, abscesses and bursitis. During this period, it is possible to isolate brucella cultures in crops from parenchymal organs, as well as to identify specific serum antibodies.
Secondary latency. This phase is characterized by the patient's clinical recovery, prolonged bacterial carriage, and a pronounced allergic rearrangement of the body.
Brucellosis: symptoms and etiology in humans
Most often, brucellosis is recorded in people who directly serve animals (veterinarians, staff on farms, etc.). In most cases, infection occurs through the mucous membrane of the nasal and oral cavities, skin, and also through the digestive canal with the use of dairy-contaminated pathogens. Patients observe fever, chills, the appearance of specific formations on the skin. Patients complain of migraine, myalgia, joint pain. In men, orchitis, epididymitis are recorded, in women - mastitis, oophoritis, and abortion.