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Brucella ceti has been recovered from a number species of cetaceans worldwide over the last 25 yr. Here we report, for the first time, the recovery of B. ceti from a Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus and a killer whale Orcinus orca. Recovery from an abdominal mass in the dolphin provides further evidence of the systemic pathogenic potential for B. ceti infection in cetaceans. The isolation of B. ceti ST23 (porpoise cluster) from a killer whale from a group known to eat other marine mammals raises the possibility of infection via ingestion. This report takes the number of cetacean species in UK coastal waters from which B. ceti has been isolated to 11 and highlights the value of routine, comprehensive and specific screening for significant pathogens such as Brucella sp. by strandings networks.

Fatal Brucella ceti infection with histological lesions specific to the central nervous system has been described in only 3 species of cetaceans: striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba, Atlantic white-sided dolphins Lagenorhynchus acutus and short-beaked common dolphins Delphinus delphis. This paper describes the first report of a B. ceti-associated meningoencephalitis in a long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas, showing the increasing range of species susceptibility. Brucella was recovered in larger numbers from cerebrospinal fluid than from brain tissue and is the sample of choice for isolation.

Introduction: In Nigeria, there is limited information on brucellosis particularly in dogs, despite its public health implications. We undertook a sero-epidemiological survey of brucellosis in dogs to determine the prevalence of the disease and associated risk factors for its occurrence in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to screen dogs in south-western Nigeria for antibodies to Brucella sp using the rapid slide agglutination test (RSA) and Rose Bengal test (RBT), with positive samples confirmed respectively by serum agglutination test (SAT) and competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Data were analyzed with STATA-12. Results: From the 739 dog sera tested, 81 (10.96%) were positive by RSA and 94 (12.72%) by RBT; these were corroborated with SAT (4/81; 4.94%) and cELISA (1/94; 1.06%), respectively. Logistic regression identified location (OR=0.04; 95% CI: 0.02-0.09), breed (OR=1.71; 95% CI: 1.34-2.19), age (OR=0.10; 95% CI: 0.04- 0.30) and management system (OR=8.51; 95% CI: 1.07-68.05) as risk factors for Brucella infection by RSA. However, location (OR=10.83; 95% CI: 5.48-21.39) and history of infertility (OR=2.62; 95% CI: 1.41-4.84) were identified as risk factors using RBT. Conclusion: Given the 10.96% to 12.72% seroprevalence of brucellosis recorded in this study, we advocate control of the disease in dogs, and public health education for those at risk of infection. Again, further studies are required to elucidate the role of dogs in the epidemiology of brucellosis in Nigeria considering the conducive human-animal interface and ecological factors responsible for the transmission of the disease. Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 23

Introduction: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that has a significant economic, social and public health impact in many parts of the world. The causative agents are members of the genus Brucella currently comprising 11 species and with an expanding known host range in recent years. Case presentation: One of a pair of White’s tree frogs (Litoria caerulea) developed skin lesions from which a pure growth of a haemolytic organism was obtained. The isolate was identified as Brucella melitensis by matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry, although the colony morphology was inconsistent with this identification. Applying the classical biotyping approach used to subdivide members of the genus Brucella, the isolate did not correspond to any known Brucella sp. However, PCR targeting of genes specific for members of the genus Brucella was strongly positive and 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed a close relationship with extant Brucella spp. In order to place the isolate more accurately, a multilocus sequencing approach was applied, which confirmed that the isolate represented a novel member of the emerging ‘atypical’ Brucella group, which includes isolates from human disease, from rodents and, more recently, reported isolations from frogs in Germany. Conclusion: This case represents the first report of isolation of a Brucella sp. from frogs outside Germany and suggests that these isolates may be widespread. Whilst there is no evidence to date that these isolates represent a zoonotic threat, the association of other ‘atypical’ Brucella sp. with human disease suggests that appropriate measures should be taken to avoid unnecessary contact with potentially infected amphibians until the zoonotic potential of this group is better understood.