HUMAN INFECTION BY BRUCELLA-MELITENSIS - AN OUTBREAK ATTRIBUTED TO CONTACT WITH INFECTED GOATS

Although several outbreaks of Bi Brucella melitensis infection have be en reported among laboratory workers or goat cheese consumers, outbrea ks related to rural labour have been rarely studied. An outbreak of hu man brucellosis among farm workers of Argentina was studied and reveal ed a close relationship with an epidemic of caprine abortions which oc curred shortly before on the same farm. High rates of B. melitensis in fection were found among goats. Active brucellosis was diagnosed in 33 subjects (14 with positive blood culture for B. Melitensis), while ot her 27 did not show evidence of illness, While 25 of the brucellosis a ctive patients were rural workers, only 5 of the healthy subjects were engaged in rural labour. Active brucellosis was diagnosed in 91.3% of the subjects in continuous contact with goats and in 32% of those hav ing an occasional contact with the animals. All the 60 subjects denied consumption of goat cheese or milk. As shown here, epidemic human inf ections by B. melitensis may develop among people frequently in contac t with infected goat herds or goat manure. (C) 1998 Federation of Euro pean Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.