Brucellosis

Overview 
Theory 
Diagnosis 
Management 
Follow up 
Resources 

Screening family contacts

In endemic areas, up to 30% of household contacts may have serological evidence of Brucella exposure, with or without symptoms.[20][19] If resources permit, household contacts can be screened using clinical questionnaires, serology, and/or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and can be treated if positive.

Screening post-exposure

Laboratory personnel and others exposed to Brucella release should be followed up with regular clinical and serological surveillance, especially if immediate post-exposure prophylaxis is not given.[35][36][38][122][123][124][125] Optimal frequency and duration of follow-up has not been agreed on, except that follow-up beyond 6 months is not required. Compliance with frequent reviews is poor. Serological surveillance is inappropriate for exposure to some vaccine strains such as RB51 or to B canis, which do not elicit serological responses in humans.

Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer