Clinical characteristics, prevention and treatment of canine brucellosis

Canine brucellosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Brucella bacteria. Brucella has strong resistance and can survive in soil, water, and milk for a long time. This bacteria is more likely to cause miscarriage in dogs. The occurrence of brucellosis in dogs is usually related to contact with sick cattle, sick sheep, and sick dogs. The spread of this disease is closely related to mating, eating bacteria-contaminated food or contact with aborted fetuses, placenta and vaginal secretions, so it mostly occurs in shepherd dogs.

Causes of brucellosis

1. Brucella mainly exists in the reproductive organs of pregnant female animals, and is accompanied by the fetus, fetal fluid, vaginal secretions and milk during labor or abortion. Excreted outward, there are also a large number of pathogenic bacteria in the semen of sick male animals, which can often be transmitted during breeding. Therefore, sick animals are the source of infection of this disease.

2. Brucella is highly contagious. It can penetrate not only damaged skin and mucous membranes, but also normal skin and mucous membranes. In addition to skin and mucous membrane infections, infections can also occur through the digestive tract, reproductive tract and respiratory tract, which brings great difficulties to epidemic prevention work. In addition to dogs, cattle, sheep, pigs and humans can all be infected with Brucella. In particular, cattle and sheep brucellosis are often the main source of brucellosis infections in dogs and other animals.

3. Brucella has strong resistance and can survive in soil, water and milk for a long time. It can be killed by heating it to 100 degrees Celsius for a few minutes. The resistance to disinfectants is also weak. 3% Lysol, 2% formalin, 5% lime emulsion, etc. can kill the bacteria within a few minutes.

Clinical characteristics of brucellosis:

1. Pregnant female dogs usually have miscarriage without any prodromal symptoms in the late pregnancy. Miscarriage and systemic lymphadenopathy can also occur in the early pregnancy. Female dogs discharge secretions from the vagina for a long time after miscarriage.

2. Most of the aborted fetuses are stillborn, but some are still alive, but they often die within hours or days. Pneumonia, endocarditis and hepatitis can be seen in infected fetuses.

3. Male dogs often suffer from epididymitis, epididymitis, testicular atrophy, prostatitis and scrotal dermatitis. Dogs with epididymitis often exhibit mental disorders and lick the skin of the scrotum, resulting in severe ulcers.

4. The vast majority of sick dogs lack obvious clinical symptoms, especially young dogs and non-pregnant dogs. Therefore, it is difficult to diagnose based solely on clinical symptoms and must rely on isolation of pathogenic bacteria and serological testing. Aborted fetuses, blood, urine, vaginal secretions, semen and breast milk can be submitted for examination.

Prevention and treatment measures for brucellosis

1. Strengthen quarantine and blood should be collected twice a year for serum agglutination test.

2. For dogs with abortions, samples of the aborted fetus or serum should be sent for examination, and bacterial isolation and culture or serum agglutination test should be performed to find out the cause.

3. Sick dogs should be treated withThe other dogs were quarantined to prevent infection.

4. Use 2% to 5% bleach solution, 10% lime milk or hot alkaline water to disinfect the on-site environment contaminated by sick dogs. Aborted fetuses, placentas, and amniotic fluid should be disposed of appropriately.