Jc. Wallach et al., HUMAN INFECTION BY BRUCELLA-MELITENSIS - AN OUTBREAK ATTRIBUTED TO CONTACT WITH INFECTED GOATS, FEMS immunology and medical microbiology, 19(4), 1997, pp. 315-321
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.