Brucella Canis has infected at least three humans and the illness is becoming an endemic in places across Eastern Europe. In humans, the bacteria produces mild flu-like symptoms which can often make it hard for doctors to identify. These signs, though, tend to include fever, a headache, generally feeling unwell, aches and pains and unexplained weight loss. Dangerous complications are rare but can include infections of the heart, bone, brain tissue and blood.
In dogs the disease can include the following symptoms; infertility, swollen testes in male dogs, lethargy, premature ageing and lameness from back pain. There is no cure for dogs who catch the disease. While antibiotics can be used to treat the infection, dogs can still transmit the infection to other animals and people. Human cases are treated with antibiotics, though this has not always been successful.
