Editorial

Human Brucellosis: A Burden of Half-Million Cases per Year

Authors: Shashank Purwar, MD

Abstract

Brucellosis has been an enigma since it was first identified by Sir David Bruce in 1886. In countries where there are stringent screening methods, it is no longer endemic, but sporadic cases are constantly being reported from diverse scenarios. These cases include: consumption of cheese made from unpasteurized goat's milk among travelers to Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Mexico1; laboratory workers coming into direct contact with the pathogen; and unusual settings like the outbreak of Brucella melitensis infections associated with the use of a cosmetic facial “beauty” treatment consisting of fetal and placental cells.2

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References

1. Taylor JP, Perdue JN. The changing epidemiology of human brucellosis in Texas, 1976 to 1986. Am J Epidemol 1989;130:160–165.
 
2. Grave W, Strum AW. Brucellosis associated with a beauty parlour. Lancet 1983;1:1326–1327.
 
3. World Health Organization. Fact sheet N173, July 1997. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
 
4. Radolf JD. Brucellosis: don't let it your goat. Am J Med Sci 1994;307:64–75.
 
5. Cloeckaert A, Grayon O, Grepinet KS. Boumedine: Classification of Brucella strains isolated from marine mammals by infrequent restriction site-PCR and development of specific PCR identification tests.  | Microbes Infect. 2003;5:593–602.