Animal · Human
High occupational risk · Foodborne
Brucellosis
A widespread bacterial zoonosis caused by Brucella spp. — primarily transmitted through raw / unpasteurised milk and direct contact with infected livestock. Chronic in dairy herds across India's cattle and buffalo belt.
Pathogen
Brucella melitensis, B. abortus, B. suis
Reservoir
Cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pig
Incubation
1–4 weeks (sometimes months)
CFR (treated)
< 2% · chronic disability is the major burden
Transmission & Risk Groups
Human infection occurs mostly through consumption of unpasteurised milk and dairy products, direct contact with infected animal tissues (placenta, aborted foetuses), and aerosol exposure in barns, abattoirs and diagnostic laboratories. Person-to-person transmission is exceptional.
Highest-risk groups
- Dairy farmers & herders
- Veterinarians & AI technicians
- Slaughterhouse and abattoir workers
- Brucella diagnostic-lab staff
- Raw-milk and soft-cheese consumers
Symptoms
- Undulant fever, drenching night sweats
- Joint & muscle pain, fatigue, weight loss
- Hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy
- Chronic: arthritis, spondylitis, neurobrucellosis, endocarditis
- Animals: abortion (esp. last trimester), retained placenta, infertility, reduced milk yield
Prevention & Control
- Animal vaccination: S19 in female cattle calves (4–8 months), RB51 booster; mass campaigns under DAHD's National Animal Disease Control Programme.
- Test-and-cull surveillance: RBPT screening, ELISA / PCR confirmation, isolation and culling of seropositive breeders.
- Milk pasteurisation: mandatory boiling / pasteurisation; promote certified dairy chains; public awareness on raw-milk risks.
- Farm biosecurity: isolation pens for aborting animals, safe disposal of foetal material, disinfection, restricted herd movement.
- Occupational PPE: gloves, eye protection and respirators for veterinarians, AI technicians and abattoir staff.
- Inter-sectoral coordination: joint herd-and-human surveillance — IDSP/IHIP cross-linked with Bharat Pashudhan and NADRES.
Cases by District (last 7 days)
Case Trend
Backend Data Parameters — Brucellosis
Source: Detailed Backend Data Parameters — One Health Platform
Human surveillance
- Patient ID / Aadhaar / Health ID
- Fever duration, joint pain, hepatosplenomegaly
- Raw-milk consumption, animal-handling exposure
- Occupation: farmer, vet, dairy / abattoir worker
- Suspected / probable / confirmed / chronic
Animal surveillance
- RFID / ear-tag, herd ID, species
- Abortion history, retained placenta, infertility
- S19 / RB51 vaccination status, dose date, batch
- RBPT / ELISA / PCR results
- Livestock density (animals / sq km)
Environmental
- Temperature, rainfall, humidity
- Dairy cluster & grazing-land mapping
- Slaughter waste / manure disposal sites
- Shared water body contamination risk
- NDVI, pasture density
Laboratory
- Sample ID, type (blood / milk / tissue / foetus)
- RBPT / ELISA / PCR / culture
- Brucella species & strain typing
- Turnaround time, rejection rate
Predictive & modelling
- Human-animal contact index
- Raw-milk consumption index
- Animal-movement / trade index
- Outbreak probability (AI/ML)
- R₀ proxy, diagnosis-to-response lag
Mathematical model
- Environmental shedding & decay rates
- Animal-to-animal, animal-to-human transmission
- Foodborne transmission rate
- Vaccination coverage & vaccine efficacy
- Pasteurisation compliance