Four weeks after assisting in several calf deliveries, a farmer develops fever,

Question

Four weeks after assisting in several calf deliveries, a farmer develops fever, weakness, muscle aches, and sweats. The fever rises in the afternoon and falls during the night. Brucella abortus is isolated. Which one of the three Brucella species is a possible bioterrorism agent and is best described by one of the following?

a. Commonly inhabits the canine respiratory tract and is an occasional pathogen for humans; strongly urease-positive

b. Gram-negative bipolar stained bacilli that cause diarrhea by means of a heat-stable enterotoxin, with abdominal pain that may be mistaken for appendicitis

c. Pits agar grows both in carbon dioxide and under anaerobic conditions, and is part of the normal oral cavity flora

d. Typically infects cattle, requires 5% to 10% carbon dioxide for growth, and is inhibited by the dye thionine

e. Typically is found in infected animal bites in humans and can cause hemorrhagic septicemia in animals

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

(d) Typically infects cattle, requires 5 to 10% carbon dioxide for growth, and is inhibited by the dye thionine.

Brucella abortus is a gram-negative bacterium that is found in cattle populations. This intracellular parasite is a blood borne pathogen that causes premature abortion of a cattle fetus. What makes this bacterium so dangerous is that it is zoonotic, meaning it can be transferred from an animal to a human host and still remain pathogenic. In humans this disease cause both acute and chronic symptoms, but can be treated with antibiotics.

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