BRUCELLOSIS (DOGS)

Canine brucellosis is a highly contagious, chronic bacterial infection caused by Brucella canis (B. canis) that primarily attacks the reproductive systems of dogs. It is a leading cause of infertility, late-term abortions, and puppy mortality in breeding environments.

⚠️ Zoonotic Hazard: Brucellosis is zoonotic, meaning it transfers from animals to humans. While human cases are generally rare, the risk is highest for breeders, owners, and veterinary workers handling newborn puppies, aborted tissues, or reproductive fluids. In humans, it triggers chronic, flu-like fatigue, persistent fever, and joint pain.

How It Transmits

• Venereal Route: The primary method of spread is sexual contact during mating between an infected male and female dog.
• Contaminated Fluids: The bacteria multiply heavily and shed inside vaginal discharge, aborted fetuses, placenta, and semen.
• Oronasal Contact: Healthy dogs contract the disease by licking or sniffing infected dogs, contaminated urine, or soiled kennel surfaces.
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Common Symptoms

Many infected dogs remain completely subclinical, acting as silent carriers that spread the bacteria. When active symptoms do surface, they vary based on gender: [

• Female Dogs: Sudden miscarriages during late gestation (between days 45 and 55), delivering stillborn or fading puppies, and long-term vaginal discharge.
• Male Dogs: Severe scrotal swelling, inflammation of the testicles, scrotal skin rashes from continuous licking, and eventual testicular shrinkage (atrophy).
• Systemic Signs (All Dogs): Chronic spinal inflammation (discospondylitis causing back pain and lameness), eye inflammation (uveitis), and swollen lymph nodes.

Diagnostic Procedures

Veterinarians use a combination of screening and confirmatory blood panels to accurately detect the bacteria:

1. Rapid Slide Agglutination Test (RSAT): A fast in-clinic screening test. If negative, the dog is clean. If positive, it requires further verification because it carries a high rate of false positives.
2. Confirmatory Testing: Positive screens must be verified via an Agar Gel Immunodiffusion (AGID) test or a specialized PCR panel checking for bacterial DNA.

Treatment Limits & Management Reality

There is no known cure for canine brucellosis. Because the bacteria live directly inside the host's cells, they hide from the immune system and standard drugs, making the infection permanent for life.

• Pet Management: If a pet dog is kept, they must be spayed or neutered to reduce fluid shedding. They require long-term, multi-month combinations of specialized antibiotics (like doxycycline paired with an aminoglycoside) to lower the bacterial count.
• Isolation Constraints: Infected pets must be isolated from all other dogs for life and barred from interacting with children, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individuals.
• Euthanasia: In breeding kennels or rescue shelters where complete isolation is impossible, euthanasia is frequently recommended or legally required to prevent widespread public health outbreaks.

Prevention Strategy

1. Pre-Breeding Screening: Never mate a dog without a certified negative Brucellosis test from both the male and female. Active stud dogs should be screened every 6 months.
2. Sanitation: The B. canis bacteria are easily killed on environmental surfaces using standard household diluted bleach solutions.