Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Danitza Lukac
Overview
Effective measures for the primary prevention of brucellosis include not consuming unpasteurized dairy or undercooked meat, and having safe occupational practices. There are no available vaccines for humans against brucellosis.[1][2]
Prevention
| Prevention of Brucellosis
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| People who consume dairy and meat products
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shouldn't consume the following:
- Undercooked meat
- Unpasteurized dairy products, including:
- If you are not sure that the dairy product is pasteurized, do not eat it.
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| People who handle animal tissues (such as hunters and animal herdsman)
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- Use clean, sharp knives for field dressing and butchering.
- Wear eye protection and rubber or latex gloves (disposable or reusable) when handling carcasses.
- Avoid direct (bare skin) contact with fluid or organs from the animal.
- Avoid direct (bare skin) contact with hunting dogs that may have come into contact with hunted animals.
- After butchering, burn or bury disposable gloves and parts of the carcass that will not be eaten.
- Don't feed dogs with raw meat or other parts of the carcass.
- Wash hands as soon as possible with soap and warm water for 20 seconds or more. Dry hands with a clean cloth.
- Clean all tools and reusable gloves with a disinfectant, like dilute bleach. (Follow the safety instructions on the product label).
- Thoroughly cook meat from any animal that is known to be a possible carrier of brucellosis (see the list above).
- Be aware that freezing, smoking, drying and pickling do not kill the bacteria that cause brucellosis.
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| Safe Laboratory Practices:
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- When brucellosis is suspected in a patient, clinicians should not "suspect or rule out brucellosis" on the laboratory submission.
- Review laboratory containment methods and microbiological procedures to ensure compliance with recommendations in the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition
- Use primary barriers: use safety centrifuge cups, personal protective equipment, and class II or higher Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) for procedures with a high likelihood of producing droplet splashes or aerosols.
- Use secondary barriers: restrict access to the laboratory when work is being performed and maintain the integrity of the laboratory's air handling system by keeping external doors and windows closed.
- Perform all procedures on unidentified isolates carefully to minimize the creation of splashes or aerosols.
- Prohibit sniffing of opened culture plates to assist in the identification of isolates. Manipulate isolates of small gram-negative or gram-variable rods within a BSC.
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Vaccines
Live attenuated Brucella strains, such as B. abortus strain 19BA or 104M, have been used in some countries to protect high-risk populations.
Vaccination as displayed short-term efficacy and high reactogencity.
Reference