Brucellosis in wildlife

Abstract

Brucellae infections have been documented world-wide over the years in a great variety of terrestrial wildlife species. Recently, brucellae infections have also been reported in a wide variety of marine mammals. A very important consideration with regard to terrestrial brucellosis in wildlife is to distinguish between a spillover of infection from domestic animals and a sustainable infection in wild species. The probability of brucellosis becoming established and being sustainable in a species depends on a combination of factors including host susceptibility, infectious dose, contact with infected animals, management and environmental factors. In this context, the development of the game farming industry appears to have contributed to the re-emergence of brucellosis. The gold standard in brucellosis diagnosis remains the isolation of brucellae. If brucellosis is suspected in an animal or a wildlife population following positive serological results, attempts to isolate the organism should always be performed. The release of anti-brucellae vaccine strain in wildlife is of concern because this could lead to environmental contamination and infection of other wild species. Therefore, the appropriate dosage of the vaccine in target species as well as the safety of the vaccine in non-target species must be addressed in technical terms in order to assist decision-making regarding the management of wildlife brucellosis.