Brucellosis

At a glance

No vaccine available – read more about prevention
Nationally notifiable disease

About brucellosis

Brucellosis is an infection caused by Brucella bacteria.

It usually spreads to people from infected animals.

In Australia, Brucella infections in humans are rare.

Why it matters to public health

Brucellosis is found globally and is a common disease that spreads from animals to people.

In Australia, infections are rare in people and domestic animals, however, people and dogs who interact with feral pigs are at risk.

Brucella bacteria can survive in the environment (soil, water and dust contaminated with animal fluids) for several months, particularly in cool moist conditions.

Brucellosis during pregnancy can cause serious complications for unborn babies – including death.

Because of these major impacts, we:

work alongside colleagues at the national and state level in the animal and environmental sectors to promote a One Health coordinated approach to monitoring brucellosis
plan for how to manage outbreaks.

Symptoms

If you’re looking for advice about your own health or treatment options, see healthdirect or speak with qualified healthcare professional. Our role is to provide public health advice – information and guidance that helps prevent disease, protect communities and improve wellbeing at a population level.

Common symptoms include:

fever and chills
headache
fatigue
sweats
weight loss
joint pain
muscle pain.

Complications can include:

arthritis
inflammation of the liver and spleen
inflammation of the testicles (orchitis) and epididymis (epididymitis)
inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and membranes covering the brain (meningitis)
infection of the heart valves (endocarditis) – which can cause death.

Infection during pregnancy can lead to:

healthdirect’s symptom checker can help you decide whether to see a health professional.

Check your symptoms

Onset of symptoms

Symptoms usually start between 2 and 4 weeks after getting infected. But this can range from 5 days to 2 months.

How it spreads

People can get brucellosis from infected animals by:

direct contact with animals, animal products or animal body fluids – especially through skin cuts or grazes
eating undercooked meat or unpasteurised (raw) dairy products.

Rarely, people can become infected by breathing in the bacteria. This could potentially occur in a laboratory setting without appropriate personal protective equipment.

In Australia, feral pigs are the main source of infections in people.

In other countries, various domestic and wild animals – including sheep, goats, cows and camels – can be infected.

Infectious period

Brucellosis rarely spreads between people.

Prevention

The best ways to protect against brucellosis are to:

avoid contact with infected or potentially infected animals – especially feral pigs
wear personal protective equipment (e.g. gloves, eye protection, aprons) when handling potentially infected animals, and their fluids and tissues, such as meat or skin
if in contact with animals or materials contaminated with animal fluids:
- wash your hands after contact
- bag clothing, boots or other items and wash them separately
- keep wounds covered with a waterproof dressing
practise good food safety:
- thoroughly cook meat
- do not consume unpasteurised (raw) dairy products.

It is especially important for pregnant people to avoid contact with feral pigs or pig hunting dogs.

People who work around animals should:

leave clothing or equipment that might be contaminated with animal fluids at work, if you can
avoid handling carcasses in areas where contamination may spread to soil or water
dispose of carcasses and waste material responsibly to reduce environmental contamination
follow the work health and safety advice of your employer.

Priority groups and settings

Some people are at greater risk of getting brucellosis or getting very sick from it.

People at greater risk should take steps to protect themselves.

People at greater risk of severe disease

Brucellosis poses a greater risk of severe illness for pregnant people and their unborn babies.

People at greater risk of exposure

People might be at greater risk of being exposed to brucellosis if they:

have contact with feral pigs
own dogs used for feral pig hunting – which are at risk of being exposed to the disease and can spread it to other dogs and people
handle soil, water or equipment contaminated by pig hunting activities
work in agricultural and meat production industries – such as on farms, in abattoirs, in butcheries and in veterinary settings
have contact with animals that have recently given birth or aborted foetuses
work in laboratories handling samples of Brucella bacteria, without appropriate protections
travel to or migrate from areas where brucellosis is more common.

Diagnosis and treatment

Health professionals can diagnose brucellosis through a blood test.

You can use healthdirect’s directory to find a health service near you.

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Brucellosis is treated with antibiotics.

Surveillance and reporting

Brucellosis is a nationally notifiable disease – these are diseases that present a risk to public health.

Public health authorities take a One Health approach to the surveillance of brucellosis. In addition to human disease surveillance, relevant government departments help monitor brucellosis in feral pigs and other animals.

Health authorities in each state and territory report new laboratory confirmed cases or probable cases to us through the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.

This is part of our national surveillance activities, to monitor case numbers around the country and understand disease patterns.

We analyse the data and report on case numbers and other data through our data visualisation tool, where you can filter and search the latest information.

Outbreaks

Control measures used during outbreaks focus on humans, animals and the environment, and might include:

investigating how people might have been exposed
working with animal health experts to test and manage infected animals
providing education and advice for people who might have been exposed.

Read more about how the Australian defines and plans for outbreaks.

Support

For information about brucellosis in your state or territory, see:

If you need mental health support, see a list of organisations, websites and services that offer support, counselling and information.

For travel advice, see Smartraveller.