Brucellosis in humans caused by Brucella canis: A scoping review

Brucella canis is a potential cause of brucellosis in humans, but this disease has been poorly characterized.

A scoping review was completed.

The review yielded 24 studies that described clinical B. canis infection in 68 individuals. The median age was 32 y (range: 17 mo to 71 y). Fever, fatigue, headache, chills, and malaise predominated.Specific treatments were reported for 30 individuals. A tetracycline (tetracycline, doxycycline, or minocycline) was the sole treatment or part of a combination treatment for most (21/30, 70%) individuals, followed by rifampin (9/30, 30%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (7/30, 23%), and an aminoglycoside (gentamicin, streptomycin) (7/30, 23%). Clinical outcome was reported for 35 individuals. No mortalities were reported.A known or suspected source of exposure was reported for 56 cases; 45 (80%) were linked to dogs and 11 (20%) to laboratory exposure. Contact with pet dogs that had aborted or with aborted fetuses accounted for 31% of the canine exposures.

Brucellosis attributed to B. canis can cause a wide range of clinical presentations in humans, but was similar to brucellosis caused by other Brucella spp. This nonspecific nature highlights the importance of identifying risk factors for exposure, to determine whether B. canis infection should be considered.