Brucella melitensis

Brucella melitensis
File:Brucella melitensis.jpg
A photomicrograph of the bacterium Brucella melitensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Proteobacteria
Class:	Alpha Proteobacteria
Order:	Rhizobiales
Family:	Brucellaceae
Genus:	Brucella
Species:	B. melitensis
Binomial name
Brucella melitensis
Synonyms
Brucella neotomae

Brucella melitensis is a gram negative coccobacillus bacteria from the Brucellaceae family. The bacterium causes Ovine Brucellosis, along with Brucella ovis. It can infect sheep, cattle, and sometimes humans and it can be transmitted by the stable fly. It is zoonotic, unlike Brucella ovis, causing Malta fever or localized brucellosis in humans.

Pathogenesis & Disease

The bacterium causes severe inflammation of the epididymis, causing formation of spermatocoeles and fibrinous adhesions. This disease is known as ovine brucellosis. It can also cause epididymitis in cattle. Ovine brucellosis is a reportable disease in USA. A cure for it was discovered by Sir Temi Żammit in the early 1900s.

It is also reported to cause reproductive disease such as orchitis, mastitis, and abortions.

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  Colonies of Brucella melitensis

See also

• Brucella
• Ovine Brucellosis
• Brucella ovis
• Brucellaceae

References

• Brucella melitensis, reviewed and published by Wikivet at http://en.wikivet.net/Brucella_melitensis, accessed 24/08/2011.

External links

• Brucella melitensis genomes and related information at PATRIC, a Bioinformatics Resource Center funded by NIAID
• Brucella melitensis 16M genome information
• Brucella melitensis in African wildlife diseases