Brucellosis

Brucellosis

Brucellosis

Brucellosis, also called Bang's disease, Crimean fever, Gibraltar fever, Malta fever, Maltese fever, Mediterranean fever, rock fever, or undulant fever, is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unsterilized milk or meat from infected animals or close contact with their secretions...

 in humans is a potentially life-threatening multisystem disease that can be extremely difficult to treat. There are several varieties of Brucellosis, all caused by bacteria

Bacteria

Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...

 of the genus Brucella, the most notable being B. abortus and B. melitensis which affect larger species of domestic animals, and B. canis which infects dog

Dog

The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...

s and other canids. All are widely spread around the world. The most severe infections are thought to be associated with B. melitensis which primarily infects goat

Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...

s, sheep, and camel

Camel

A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...

s in the Mediterranean, Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

, Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages  – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

, parts of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and some southern Europe

Southern Europe

The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...

an countries. Humans can catch B. canis through contact with the body fluids of infected dogs, especially semen, urine and vaginal fluids. Dogs can be infected with Brucellosis without showing any signs or symptoms, and infection can only be diagnosed with specific blood tests. The typical symptoms of the type of brucellosis contracted from dogs are: fever

Fever

Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...

 that comes and goes, loss of appetite, fatigue, weakness, malaise, sore joints, low back pain

Back pain

Back pain is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.The pain can often be divided into neck pain, upper back pain, lower back pain or tailbone pain...

, spine

Vertebral column

In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...

 pain, headache, depression, abdominal pain, constipation

Constipation

Constipation refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation...

, diarrhoea, vomiting

Vomiting

Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...

, weakness, dizziness, unsteadiness of gait

Gait

Gait is the pattern of movement of the limbs of animals, including humans, during locomotion over a solid substrate. Most animals use a variety of gaits, selecting gait based on speed, terrain, the need to maneuver, and energetic efficiency...

, and urinary retention. Heart and lung complications can occur. Infected people exhibit only some of these symptoms. Other forms of brucellosis can be more severe.

With approximately 500,000 zoonotic infections a year worldwide (source:CDC), brucellosis places a large burden on humanity. Brucellosis has been reduced to rare disease status in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 (excluding Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

) and northern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 through vaccination and eradication programs, but it remains rife throughout the rest of the world. In most countries up to 10% of dogs carry this bacterium, and even up to 42.7% in some provinces of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, representing a major threat to the health of veterinarians and people who handle the blood or semen of infected animals. In the USA, there are only about 100 cases of human brucellosis diagnosed per year, although some sources consider it underdiagnosed and underreported. Most other countries have much higher rates, with high risk areas including the Mediterranean Basin

Mediterranean Basin

In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...

 (Portugal, Spain, Southern France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, North Africa), South

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 (including Mexico), Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

Emerging zoonoses

New diseases that can jump from animals to humans are called emerging zoonoses. The emerging zoonosis situation changes constantly, in an upward trend. An example from the equine species is the rare Hendra virus, originally passed from flying foxes to horses. The implications for zoophilic sexual contact of each emerging disease should be carefully assessed by practitioners.

Cancer

A 2011 study suggested that sex with animals may lead to penile cancer; however, the sample taken remains inconclusive. Regarding this issue, the following was said:

"A female member of Equality For All, a pro-zoophilia group, told the Huffington Post that the results of the [penile cancer] study should prompt people to take precautions, like using a condom, when having sex with animals, but she said it likely would not deter diehard zoophiles. 'Expecting people who truly love animals to give up their sexuality and nature just because of some physical dangers would be as absurd as expecting gays to become straight because of AIDS,' Sallie Graves wrote in an email. 'They might become more cautious ... but they wouldn't change their nature. A true zoophile can't change their attraction and love just because of a higher or lower infection risk.'"

HIV / AIDS

HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

 (the "AIDS

AIDS

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

" virus) was originally a zoonosis acquired from primates (notably monkeys) in Africa, probably via hunting and eating but possibly via animal bite. It only lives in primates (humans, apes and monkeys) and is not believed to survive long in other species or away from the human body and fluids.

Other STDs

Human sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease

Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...

s ("STDs") are not carried or transmitted by animals.

However, many human pathogens can survive in animal fluids for a limited time, and therefore STDs may theoretically be transmitted by an animal that has multiple consecutive human sexual partners in a short enough time frame to allow pathogen survival.

Bites and other physical injury

Humans may be at substantial physical risk and seriously harmed by sexual activity with animals. Larger animals may have the strength and defensive attributes (e.g. teeth, hooves, horns, claws) to injure a human, either in rejecting physical or sexual contact, or during sexual arousal.

Bites

Many animals bite

Bite

A bite is a wound received from the mouth of an animal, including humans.Animals may bite in self-defense, in an attempt to predate food, as well as part of normal interactions. Other bite attacks may be apparently unprovoked. Self inflicted bites occur in some genetic illnesses such as...

 as part of sexual excitement and foreplay. Animals carry numerous bacteria in their mouths capable of causing disease after a bite. The most common risk after an animal bite is simple infection (infection risk approximately 15-20% in the USA, may be higher elsewhere), and for dogs and other large animals injury from the force of the bite. Bacterial bite infections are usually fully curable,
although dog bites may cause Pasteurella

Pasteurella

Pasteurella is a genus of Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Pasteurella species are non-motile and pleomorphic. Most species are catalase-positive and oxidase-positive....

and Capnocytophaga canimorsus

Capnocytophaga canimorsus

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a Gram-negative bacillus bacterium that causes a zoonotic disease, most commonly in asplenic patients. It is a member of the normal gingival flora of dogs and cats...

infections, which may have severe consequences.

Other injury

The sexual organs of other species may not safely conform to the human anatomy. For example, the penis of a sexually aroused dog has a broad bulb at the base which can cause injury if forcibly pulled from a woman's vagina, and equines can thrust suddenly and "flare" inside a human orifice.

In 2005, Kenneth Pinyan

Kenneth Pinyan

The Enumclaw horse sex case was a 2005 incident in which Kenneth Pinyan , an American Boeing engineer residing in Gig Harbor, died from receiving anal sex with a stallion at a farm in an unincorporated area in King County, Washington, near the city of Enumclaw...

, a resident of Enumclaw, WA state died from internal injury after being anally penetrated

Anal sex

Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...

 by a stallion. In 2002, a 62-year-old farmer in Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

 was treated for a torn rectum

Rectum

The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in some mammals, and the gut in others, terminating in the anus. The human rectum is about 12 cm long...

 after sex with a boar (male pig

Pig

A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...

). In 1976, a 46-year-old French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 farmer underwent surgery for peritonitis

Peritonitis

Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum, the serous membrane that lines part of the abdominal cavity and viscera. Peritonitis may be localised or generalised, and may result from infection or from a non-infectious process.-Abdominal pain and tenderness:The main manifestations of...

 after sex with a boar.

Allergic reactions

Sensitization and allergic reactions to animal saliva and semen may occur, ranging from mild irritation to anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...

. Although dried skin flakes, known as dander, are the most commonly cited allergen, dog saliva is a more potent allergen than dander. An estimated 10% of people are allergic to animals in general, rising to 20-30% amongst asthma

Asthma

Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

 sufferers; the percentage of people allergic to animal secretions in particular is currently unknown. Repeated exposure to secretions after sensitization has already occurred may subsequently provoke an anaphylactic reaction

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is defined as "a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death". It typically results in a number of symptoms including throat swelling, an itchy rash, and low blood pressure...

, which can be life-threatening, and should be avoided.

See also

• Animal behaviour
  Animal behaviour
  Animal behaviour is the subject of:* The field of Ethology* Animal Behaviour, a scientific journal...
  
  
• Anthroponotic disease
  Anthroponotic disease
  An anthroponotic disease, or anthroponosis, is an infectious disease in which a disease causing agent carried by humans is transferred to other animals...
  
  
• Dog bite
• Sexually transmitted disease
  Sexually transmitted disease
  Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
  
  
• Zoophilia
  Zoophilia
  Zoophilia, from the Greek ζῷον and φιλία is the practice of sex between humans and non-human animals , or a preference or fixation on such practice...
  
  
• Zoonosis
  Zoonosis
  A zoonosis or zoonoseis any infectious disease that can be transmitted from non-human animals to humans or from humans to non-human animals . In a study of 1415 pathogens known to affect humans, 61% were zoonotic...
  
  

External links

• UC Davis site on zoonoses by animal species - WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center, PDF slideshows
• Zoonotic infections from pets - Understanding the risks and treatment
• American Veterinary Medical Association - Zoonosis updates