GC: n
S: WHO – http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/Brucellosis.pdf (last access: 14 December 2013); DORLAND.
N: 1. 1930, Modern Latin, named for Scottish physician Sir David Bruce (1855-1931), who discovered the bacteria that caused it (1887).
2. brucellosis, also called Malta fever, Mediterranean fever, or undulant fever, brucellosis infectious disease of humans and domestic animals characterized by an insidious onset of fever, chills, sweats, weakness, pains, and aches, all of which resolve within three to six months.
3. The disease is named after the British army physician David Bruce, who in 1887 first isolated and identified the causative bacteria, Brucella, from the spleen of a soldier who had died from the infection.
4. Three main species of Brucella bacteria are common causes of human brucellosis, and the bacillus of each of the species has its major reservoir in domestic animals. The causative bacteria are B. melitensis (goats and sheep), B. suis (swine), and B. abortus (cattle). The infection may not be apparent in animals, for the brucellae and animals that they infect have become fairly well adapted to one another. In cattle, for example, the only signs of illness (also known as Bang disease) may be a drop in milk production or a general malaise, although abortion is also common. Brucellosis is, therefore, of considerable economic importance, although it causes no dramatic loss of livestock.
5. Brucellosis is a bacterial disease caused by various Brucella species, which mainly infect cattle, swine, goats, sheep and dogs. Humans generally acquire the disease through direct contact with infected animals, by eating or drinking contaminated animal products, or by inhaling airborne agents. The majority of cases are caused by ingesting unpasteurized milk or cheese from infected goats or sheep. Person-to-person transmission is rare. The disease causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, weakness, malaise and weight loss.
6. Cultural Interrelation: We can mention Silencing the Thunder (2014) by Edward M. Roqueta.
S: 1. OED – http://goo.gl/b4Zg4H (last access: 3 September 2014). 2 to 4. EncBrit – https://goo.gl/cagwqP (last access: 3 September 2014). 5. WHO – http://goo.gl/hI9RKU (last access: 14 December 2013). 6. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3846438/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl (last access: 30 June 2016).
SYN: 1. Malta fever, Mediterranean fever, undulant fever. 2. abortus fever, Rio Grande fever, undulant fever. 3. Malta fever, Mediterranean fever, undulant, abortus fever, Cyprus fever, Gibraltar fever, rock fever, febris melitensis, febris undulans, melitococcosis.
S: 1. EncBrit – https://goo.gl/cagwqP (last access: 3 September 2014). 2. GDT (last access: 30 June 2016). 3. TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 30 June 2016).
