Food safety is a major problem in developing countries, and these countries are still struggling with food safety problems today. The World Health Organization (WHO), according to more than 200 diseases occur due to consumption of contaminated food, and these diseases, especially infants, children, and vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, the elderly and long-term health problems. Therefore, millions of people annually get sick due to food-borne Zoonoses. Among these Zoonoses, one of the most researched microorganisms is Brucella spp, also called Maltese fever or Mediterranean Fever.it is brucellosis caused by.
Brucella is a spore-free and capsule-free microorganism in the family Brucellaceae. Gr ( - ) is stationary and aerobic. It is an intracellular parasite, which is closely related to the mechanism of disease creation, and details will be given in the symptoms section.
- Brucella melitensis (isolated from sheep and goats)
- Brucella abortus (isolated from cattle)
- Brucella suis (isolated from pigs)
- Brucella canis (isolated from dogs)
Brucella can maintain its viability, especially in dry environments containing protein, and dust can stay alive in the soil for up to 10 weeks. But depending on the temperature, they were found to be able to stay alive in the water for 10-70 days.
They are sensitive to heat treatment and are inactive in 30 minutes at 62.8 oC or 15 seconds at 71.7 oC with pasteurization process.
Signs and symptoms
Although there is no literature on the minimal dose of infection (MID) that will make people sick for brucellosis, B.5000 pieces of Mid for melitensis, B. abortion and B. the MID value of suis is estimated to be around 106-107.
B. melitensis was first identified in 1877 from the spleen of a soldier who died of Maltese fever. In Turkey, for the first time, an Erde was found lying in Kuleli Military Hospital.
Especially B. melitensis and B. abortion is more risky because of human-to-animal and animal-to-human transmission. B. abortion causes necrosis in the capillaries located in the cotyldons between the mother and the baby, causing damage to the transition places that allow the puppy to feed. Therefore, the baby loses its life without nutrients and becomes abort. It is therefore the cause of abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy in both animals and humans.
B. human stomach acid against B. melitensis it's more resistant than abortion. If stomach acid is buffered (for example, using stomach protective drugs, consuming foods containing excess protein or carbohydrates), it crosses the stomach and reaches the intestine and enters the cell from the intestine with the property of being an intracellular parasite. It reaches here because it has affinity for the body's joints, kneecaps, uterus and testicles. It causes swelling and pain, especially in the joints in the knee and elbow parts. In a patient who has started antibiotic therapy, the treatment process can last up to 3-6 months, because the antibiotic cannot enter the cell. Every time the agent exits the cell, the antibiotic will take effect, and when it leaves the cell and joins the bloodstream, the fever increases. Fire is therefore bumpy, does not show continuity. Therefore, the fire is ondulan (wavy) character. Because of this feature, it resembles Maltese fever.
Genes, causative factors and Risk Factors associated with the disease
Raw foods, especially raw milk and products that have not been heat treated (pasteurized or sterilized), and raw meatballs made with raw mince and raw mince are risky. If the animals are infected with the agent, the products obtained from them will also be contaminated. By consuming these products without heat treatment, people are also infected.
EU standards require 120 days of ripening in cheeses made from raw milk, due to the risk of brucellosis. We, Food Science and technology experts and food microbiologists recommend a minimum of 120 days of maturation.
In addition, it is necessary to add that raw plant foods and contaminated water contaminated with the feces or urine of infected animals are also among the sources of transmission for humans.
Diagnostic Methods
Brucellosis is diagnosed with 100% specificity and 79% (blood serum samples) and 99.2% (fully combined blood serum samples) sensitivity using the PCR method.
Treatments or administration methods
Antibiotics are required for treatment. It is generally recommended to use Doxycycline and rifampin together for at least 6-8 weeks (be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant, are allergic to these antibiotics, or are in the immunobasked group).
Duration Estimates (Prognosis)
The incubation period of brucellosis varies between 10-250 days depending on the entry pathway and number of microorganisms. Although the course of the disease varies from a few weeks to a few months, it requires long-term use of antibiotics.
Incidence and distribution (Epidemiology)
According to the ECDC's (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) annual Epidemiological Report on brucellosis, 381 confirmed cases were identified by 28 EU/EEA (EU/European Economic Area) countries in 2017. Greece, Italy and Spain had the highest number of cases, with 67.2%. Moreover, compared to the previous 4 years, 2017 is the year with the lowest number of cases.
According to the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and control), more than 500,000 cases of brucellosis are detected worldwide each year. But the CDC notes that this figure will be much higher, given that it is not reported and is often misdiagnosed. Again, according to the CDC, B. melitensis is the most commonly reported factor among human diseases worldwide, while the most common potential source of infection is B. it's abortion.
According to the FAO's (food and Agriculture Organization) Epidemiology Report, countries that have not reported brucellosis for at least 5 years include Australia, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Especially the Mediterranean countries of Europe, North and East Africa, Near East countries, India, Central Asia, Mexico, Ora and South America are reported to be affected by brucellosis.
It has been found that there is a close relationship between people's eating habits and alimentary Brucella infections. For example, in countries such as France, Greece, Mexico, Peru, Kuwait and Iran, where fresh cheeses made from raw milk supplied from Brucella-infected sheep and goats are often consumed, cases of food-borne brucellosis range from 8-100%.
Prevention Methods
In this disease, especially veterinarians, animal carers, personnel working in meat and dairy enterprises (butchers, food engineers or technicians, etc.) are at risk. Because staff working in this field often have to disinfect their hands, the natural microflora in the hands is damaged, and Brucella can easily overcome a hand without flora. Therefore, there should be an effective HACCP system in these enterprises and both personnel and food safety should be ensured.
The factor is a danger, especially for laboratory workers, as it also causes infection as a result of the removal of dust particles found in the environment through the mucosa of the conjunctiva or respiratory system. Therefore, appropriate biosafety measures should be taken in the laboratories studied with Brucella.
Herd vaccination should be implemented in animal farms to protect both staff and animal health.
Cheeses made from raw milk should be left to mature for 120 days (it should not be excluded that pickled cheeses containing 17% salt can stay alive for up to 30 days).
Avoid milk sold on the street. Effective heat treatment should be applied to raw milk taken from a trusted place. Post-contamination of heat-treated dairy products, raw milk and its products should be avoided.
In the control of the disease, cooperation between medical doctors, veterinarians and food Polybiologists-food scientists should be ensured, written and visual communication tools should be used effectively, aimed at raising awareness of animal breeders and consumers about the disease.
Etymology
The name of the genus Brucella, which causes the disease, comes from the Scottish physician Sir David Bruce (1855-1931), who first described the bacterium.