Hammerl J A, Ulrich R G, Imholt C, Scholz H C, Jacob J, Kratzmann N, Nöckler K, Al Dahouk S
Department of Biological Safety, Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany.
Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2017 Apr;64(2):663-671. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12425. Epub 2015 Sep 23.
Brucellosis is a widespread zoonotic disease introduced from animal reservoirs to humans. In Germany, bovine and ovine/caprine brucellosis were eradicated more than a decade ago and mandatory measures in livestock have been implemented to keep the officially brucellosis-free status. In contrast, surveillance of wildlife is still challenging, and reliable data on the prevalence of brucellae in small mammal populations do not exist. To assess the epidemiology of Brucella spp. in rodents and shrews, a molecular survey was carried out. A total of 537 rodents and shrews were trapped in four federal states located throughout Germany and investigated for the presence of Brucella. Using a two-step molecular assay based on the detection of the Brucella-specific bcsp31 and IS711 sequences in tissue samples, 14.2% (n = 76) of the tested animals were positive. These originated mainly from western and south-western Germany, where preliminary analyses indicate population density-dependent Brucella prevalence in voles (Myodes glareolus) and mice (Apodemus spp.). recA typing revealed a close relationship to a potentially novel Brucella species recently isolated from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in Austria. The molecular detection of brucellae in various rodent taxa and for the first time in shrew species shows that these animals may be naturally infected or at least have a history of exposure to Brucella spp.
布鲁氏菌病是一种广泛传播的人畜共患病，可从动物宿主传播给人类。在德国，牛和羊/山羊布鲁氏菌病在十多年前就已根除，并且已对家畜采取了强制性措施以维持官方无布鲁氏菌病状态。相比之下，对野生动物的监测仍然具有挑战性，目前尚无关于小型哺乳动物群体中布鲁氏菌流行率的可靠数据。为了评估啮齿动物和鼩鼱中布鲁氏菌属的流行病学情况，开展了一项分子调查。在德国各地的四个联邦州共捕获了537只啮齿动物和鼩鼱，并对其进行了布鲁氏菌检测。采用基于检测组织样本中布鲁氏菌特异性bcsp31和IS711序列的两步分子检测法，14.2%（n = 76）的受试动物呈阳性。这些动物主要来自德国西部和西南部，初步分析表明，田鼠（Myodes glareolus）和小鼠（Apodemus spp.）中布鲁氏菌的流行率与种群密度有关。recA分型显示，这些菌株与最近从奥地利红狐（Vulpes vulpes）中分离出的一种潜在新布鲁氏菌物种密切相关。在各种啮齿动物类群中首次检测到布鲁氏菌，并且在鼩鼱物种中也检测到了布鲁氏菌，这表明这些动物可能受到自然感染，或者至少有接触过布鲁氏菌属的历史。
