Brucellosis is a disease that has been around for quite some time, and while it has gone by many names over the years, Brucellosis is now the official term for it. Originally discovered in the 1850, it was then named Crimean Fever, through the course of time; however, the disease has been referred to Bang’s disease, and Malta Fever. Symptoms of the disease itself include joint and muscle pain, a fever that comes and goes over the course of weeks, as well as profuse sweating. Unfortunately, it is considered an intracellular disease which will persist for the remainder of one’s life.
The way Brucellosis is transmitted to humans is either through eating the meat from an affected animal, or drinking unsterilized milk. It is now commonplace for all livestock to receive an immunization to guard against the illness, and any livestock that demonstrate the symptoms of the disease are destroyed. The disease can also be transmitted from human to human through sexual intercourse, but these occurrences are rare. The disease itself is most commonly carried by animals such as dogs, goats, camels, elk, deer, and cattle
Although the disease had been known about for nearly forty years, it wasn’t until 1887 that a man by the name of Dr. David Bruce was able to isolate the organism that causes the bacteria. This disease has been around much longer than the human race, and can be dated back as far as two thousand years. It wasn’t until 1905 that Sir Themistocles Zammit identified the connections of the disease specifically to drinking unpasteurized milk.
There are treatments available for humans who have the disease which normally consists of a high regiment of antibiotics, accompanied by large glasses of water. Brucella is the genus to which brucellosis belongs, and because of its volatility, there are no programs in place to eradicate it altogether. Brucella itself was even experimented with by the United States military for use for a type of biological weapon; however, there have been plans set in motion between all countries to stay away from weapons such as these.
In order to avoid transmitting brucellosis, it is best to first buy the right type of milk, and then make sure that it is not only non-pasteurized, but good and fresh as well. It’s also not a bad to check the expiration date of your meat every time that you cook it.
