Brucellosis Essay

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Brucella: Description of Organism: There are several species of Brucella found throughout the world. The majority of which are classified based on phenotypic characteristics and host preferences, despite nearly identical DNA sequences or genomes (Bosilkovski, “Micro”). The reasoning behind this classification is due to the fact that several Brucella species prefer a particular host, such as dogs or cattle. The Brucella species are some of the smallest bacteria in the world. Brucella species’ common characteristics include: gram negative, nonmotile (lack flagella), facultative intracellular, aerobic, lack capsule, lack spores, and are the second smallest gram negative organism to be observed (Bosilkovski, “Micro”). Epidemiology: Given …show more content…

Given the somewhat chronic nature of brucellosis (i.e. most acute forms last around eight weeks, while chronic forms can last up to a year), it is somewhat difficult to diagnose based on clinical evaluations (Bosilkovski, “Clinical”). Laboratory confirmation is crucial to diagnosis, but is somewhat difficult. Brucella species require specific growth factors and mediums to be grown. The majority of which can be grown in the presence of blood, between 35°C and 37°C, and some may require certain levels of carbon dioxide (Bosilkovski, “Micro”). Brucella can be detected rapidly by the Rose Bengal plate culture, which has a greater than 99 percent specificity (Bosilkovski, “Clinical”). For more chronic forms of brucellosis, the Coombs test and Brucellacapt should be used (Bosilkovski, “Clinical). Although as more specific molecular markers are discovered, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and molecular tests may become the go-to diagnostic …show more content…

There are numerous species of Bartonella, which has increased in recent years due to modern DNA analysis techniques, such as PCR and DNA hybridization. Several, once though to be distinct, genus’ and species’ have been re-classified under the Bartonella species, such as the genus Grahamella (Spach, “Basic”). The common characteristics among Bartonella species include: gram negative, pleomorphic morphology, slow growing, some have flagella (important virulence factor) and are fastidious (i.e. require special medium for

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