Brucellosis: Recognition, Investigation, and Laboratory Safety (W6036)-Brucellosis: Recognition, Investigation, and Laboratory Safety Presentation

Brucellosis: Recognition, Investigation, and Laboratory Safety Presentation

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The presentation reviews brucellosis recognition, investigation, and laboratory safety in Georgia. Brucellosis is a notifiable disease caused by low-dose, Gram-negative intracellular Brucella species, with important human pathogens including B. melitensis, B. suis, B. abortus, and B. canis. A taxonomic update noted that Ochrobactrum species were reclassified into Brucella in 2022.<br /><br />Human brucellosis is worldwide, but in Georgia it typically causes 5–10 cases annually, most often from B. suis, followed by B. melitensis. Common transmission routes include unpasteurized dairy, undercooked meat, direct animal contact during birth, and hunting or field dressing feral swine; person-to-person spread is rare. Symptoms are often nonspecific, but undulant fever is the hallmark. Other features include night sweats, fatigue, weight loss, headache, arthralgia, arthritis, neurologic disease, and focal infections, especially involving joints, the spine, and orthopedic implants.<br /><br />Diagnosis is best confirmed by culture, with specimens sent to the Georgia Public Health Laboratory. Serology and PCR may also help. Standard treatment is dual therapy, typically doxycycline plus rifampin for 6–8 weeks, to reduce relapse risk.<br /><br />The presentation emphasized laboratory risk: Brucella is among the most common laboratory-associated bacterial infections because it aerosolizes easily and has a low infectious dose. Risk assessment should consider who was exposed, where they were, how specimens were handled, and what PPE was used. Recommended PPE includes gloves, gown, and eye protection. Exposure follow-up ranges from symptom watch to weekly monitoring, serial serology, and post-exposure prophylaxis in higher-risk situations.<br /><br />Georgia case examples included a 2024 B. melitensis outbreak in three families linked to shared unpasteurized cheese from Mexico, and two 2023 B. suis cases without feral swine exposure, likely linked to infected dogs in veterinary/shelter settings. The key message: suspect brucellosis when compatible symptoms and exposure history exist, notify the lab early, and use strong laboratory precautions.

Keywords

brucellosis

Brucella

Georgia

notifiable disease

undulant fever

unpasteurized dairy

laboratory safety

culture diagnosis

doxycycline rifampin

aerosol exposure