Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by various Brucella species, which mainly infect cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs. Humans generally acquire the disease through direct contact with infected animals, by eating or drinking contaminated animal products or by inhaling airborne agents.Home/Newsroom/Factsheets/Detail/BrucellosisILRI/StevieMannVillagerandcalfsharemilkfromcowinRajasthan,India©CreditsBrucellosis29July2020KeyfactsBrucellosisisfoundgloballyandisareportablediseaseinmostcountriesThediseasecausesflu-likesymptoms,includingfever,weakness,malaiseandweightlossPerson-to-persontransmissionisrareBrucellosisisabacterialdiseasecausedbyvariousBrucellaspecies,whichmainlyinfectcattle,swine,goats,sheepanddogsBrucellosisisabacterialdiseasecausedbyvariousBrucellaspecies,whichmainlyinfectcattle,swine,goats,sheepanddogs.Humansgenerallyacquirethediseasethroughdirectcontactwithinfectedanimals,byeatingordrinkingcontaminatedanimalproductsorbyinhalingairborneagents.Mostcasesarecausedbyingestingunpasteurizedmilkorcheesefrominfectedgoatsorsheep.Brucellosisisoneofthemostwidespreadzoonosestransmittedbyanimalsandinendemicareas,humanbrucellosishasseriouspublichealthconsequences.Expansionofanimalindustriesandurbanization,andthelackofhygienicmeasuresinanimalhusbandryandinfoodhandling,partlyaccountforbrucellosisremainingapublichealthhazard. Whoisatrisk? Brucellosisisfoundgloballyandisareportablediseaseinmostcountries.Itaffectspeopleofallagesandbothsexes.Inthegeneralpopulation,mostcasesarecausedbytheconsumptionofrawmilkoritsderivativessuchasfreshcheese.Mostofthesecasesarefromsheepandgoatproducts.Thediseaseisalsoconsideredanoccupationalhazardforpeoplewhoworkinthelivestocksector.Peoplewhoworkwithanimalsandareincontactwithblood,placenta,foetusesanduterinesecretionshaveanincreasedriskofcontractingthedisease.Thismethodoftransmissionprimarilyaffectsfarmers,butchers,hunters,veterinariansandlaboratorypersonnel.Worldwide, Brucellamelitensis isthemostprevalentspeciescausinghumanbrucellosis,o