Brucella suis biovar 1 infection in a dog with orchitis in Germany

Sophie Aurich; Juliane Schneider; Hanka Brangsch; Ad Koets; Falk Melzer; Christa Ewers; Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff

doi:10.3389/fvets.2023.1233118

Brucella suis biovar 1 infection in a dog with orchitis in Germany

Front Vet Sci. 2023 Aug 3:10:1233118. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1233118. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sophie Aurich^#¹, Juliane Schneider^#², Hanka Brangsch³, Ad Koets⁴, Falk Melzer³, Christa Ewers¹, Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Veterinary Science, Institute for Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
² Tierärztliche Klinik für Kleintiere am Kaiserberg, Duisburg, Germany.
³ Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Jena, Germany.
⁴ Department of Bacteriology, Host-Pathogen Interaction and Diagnostics, Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

In 2021, a case of canine brucellosis diagnosed in a dog with orchitis was presented to a veterinary practice in Germany. Serological testing excluded Brucella (B.) canis as a causative agent, but molecular analysis revealed the presence of B. suis biovar 1. Since biovar 1 is not endemic in Europe and the dog had no history of travel to endemic areas, a comprehensive epidemiological investigation was conducted using whole genome sequence data to determine the source of infection. We describe the clinical progress of the animal and the potential infection of a veterinary clinic employee. The findings highlight the importance of considering less common Brucella species as possible causes of canine brucellosis. The data also emphasize that it is quite challenging to identify Brucella species in a routine diagnostic laboratory and to conduct epidemiological investigations to unveil possible transmission routes.

Keywords: Brucella suis biovar 1; canine brucellosis; epididymitis; genotyping; raw meat diet; reproductive disease; whole genome sequencing; zoonosis.