Brucellosis is a rare bacterial disease in the UK but there has been a marked increase in the number of cases since 2020 (3 diagnoses pre-2020 and 97 diagnoses in 2023 (to June 2023).
This is in line with the increase in dogs imported from Eastern Europe. All UK cases have been in dogs that have either been imported, have mated with an imported dog, have had contact with the birthing products of an imported dog, or are the offspring (puppy) of an imported dog.

In the female dog, the infection can result in abortion and stillbirth. In the male, it can cause epididymitis, orchitis, prostatitis, testicular atrophy, and infertility. Brucellosis is highly contagious and infected dogs can also pose a risk to owners, veterinary staff and laboratory staff testing samples.

Vetlexicon Canis has the following topics on Brucellosis:

Article: Brucellosis

Article: Brucella canis

Client Factsheet: Brucellosis infection in dogs

Further information:

• Human Animal Infection and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) risk assessment on Brucella canis: Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group (HAIRS) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
• Canine Brucellosis: Summary information sheet for veterinary staff: Canine-Brucellosis-Summary.pdf (defra.gov.uk) document
• Brucella canis: information for the public and dog owners: Brucella canis: information for the public and dog owners – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) page.