Brucellosis

Brucellosis is an infection you can catch from unpasteurised milk and cheese. It's extremely rare in the UK.

How you catch brucellosis

It's mainly caught by:

• drinking milk that hasn't been pasteurised (heat-treated to kill bacteria)
• eating dairy products like cheese and ice cream made from unpasteurised milk

You can also catch it from eating raw or undercooked meat, or from contact with bodily fluids of farm animals such as cows, goats, sheep and pigs. But this is rare.

UK farm animals are usually vaccinated against the bacteria, but this may not be the case in other countries.

It's very rare to catch brucellosis from other people.

Symptoms of brucellosis

Symptoms may appear suddenly over 1 to 2 days or gradually over several weeks.

Symptoms of brucellosis are like the flu:

• a high temperature of 38C or above
• loss of appetite
• sweating
• headaches
• extreme tiredness
• back and joint pain

See a GP if you have symptoms of brucellosis and:

• you've had unpasteurised milk or dairy products
• you've eaten raw or undercooked meat
• you work closely with farm animals

Tell your GP if you have recently travelled overseas.

How brucellosis is treated

Brucellosis is usually diagnosed using a blood test.

The infection is treated with a course of antibiotics for at least 6 weeks. It's important to finish your course even if you start to feel better.

You should make a full recovery, and the infection is unlikely to return.

How to avoid getting brucellosis

There's no human vaccine against brucellosis, but there are things you can do to reduce your chances of getting it.

Do

• avoid contact with livestock and wild animals while travelling in places where brucellosis is a problem
• wear protective clothing if working with animals
• put a plaster on any wounds before touching animals

Don't

• drink unpasteurised milk
• eat dairy products like cheese and ice cream made from unpasteurised milk
• eat raw or undercooked meat