(The Gist of PIB) Brucellosis disease and new Brucellosis Vaccine by ICAR


(THE GIST OF PIB) Brucellosis disease and new Brucellosis Vaccine by ICAR

[October-2020]


Brucellosis disease and new Brucellosis Vaccine by ICAR

  • Recently, several thousand people in northwest China tested positive for the bacterial disease named Brucellosis 

About: 

  • The infection spread among people working in a state-owned pharmaceutical plant in Lanzhou city, which produces animal vaccines.
  • The biopharmaceutical plant had used expired disinfectants for producing Brucella vaccines for animals last year.
  • Subsequently, the contaminated gas from the factory formed aerosols containing the bacteria, which was then carried by wind to a nearby Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute. This resulted in infecting close to 200 people there as well in December last year.
  • There are 3,245 people who have contracted Brucellosis and another 1,401 people also tested as an early positive for the disease.

What is Brucellosis?

  • It is a bacterial disease caused by various Brucella species, which mainly infect cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs among others.
  • It also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever  
  • Humans generally acquire the disease through direct contact with infected animals or eating, drinking contaminated animal products or by inhaling airborne agents.
  • The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that person-to-person transmission of brucellosis is “extremely rare” but some symptoms may reoccur or never go away.

Symptoms of Brucellosis:

  • Symptoms include headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue and some symptoms can become chronic or never go away, like arthritis or swelling in certain organs

Treatment and prevention:

  • It is usually treated with antibiotics, including rifampin and doxycycline. 
  • Avoiding raw/unpasteurised dairy products and taking safety precautions such as wearing rubber gloves, gowns or aprons, when handling animals or working in a laboratory can help prevent or reduce the risk of getting brucellosis.
  • Other preventive measures include cooking meat properly, vaccinating domestic animals, etc.

New Brucellosis Vaccine by ICAR:

  • ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute has developed a Brucella abortus S19A per vaccine for Brucellosis.
  • Brucellosis is one of the most important zoonotic diseases worldwide and also endemic in India causing huge economic losses to dairy industry.
  • Humans can get impacted by coming in contact with animals or having contaminated animal products (meat, milk etc). Human to human transmission is rare.

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Courtesy: PIB