By Ethan Covey
Seventeen people and five pets in South Carolina were exposed to Brucella canis from a pregnant stray dog, according to a CDC report.
B. canis is a rare bacterial zoonotic organism that is likely underreported in both dogs and humans due to nonspecific symptoms, challenges in detecting the organism, and problems with accuracy and reliability of diagnostic tests (MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73[25]:581-582).
“This report emphasizes the importance of risk communication and testing of dogs clinically suspected to be infected with B. canis to reduce the spread of B. canis among dogs and to humans,” said Tori S. Moore, DVM, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the CDC.
The exposures began in August 2023 when a stray dog wandered around the property of a family of four. Roughly one month later, the dog aborted seven puppies and was screened, and confirmed to be positive for B. canis infection. In total, nine members of two households, eight veterinary clinic staff members and five household pets were exposed. Three members of the family that adopted the dog received post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP); no secondary cases of B. canis occurred.
The multidisciplinary collaboration among local veterinarians and pet owners, epidemiologists and public health veterinarians, physicians, and laboratorians helped to confirm the diagnosis and offer strategies for preventing other infections.
However, Dr. Moore noted, B. canis can be difficult to identify, particularly in humans.
“There is no approved serological test for B. canis in humans, which makes investigations challenging,” she said. “Development of an approved serological test for humans would help us identify cases, understand prevalence and guide PEP decision making.”
Dr. Moore added that she hopes future research will provide more information on the seroprevalence of B. canis in dogs.
“Research on the seroprevalence of B. canis in dogs would help us better understand the scope of the problem and where we might be able to intervene from a public health perspective,” she said.
