First Brits infected with dog disease as illness spreads in pets

A disease which is spreading among British dogs for the first time has now started to infect people, the UK Health Security Agency has warned. The condition, called Brucella canis, is incurable and can cause infertility, lameness, swollen testes and pain in dogs.

But the UKHSA say three humans have now caught the bacterial infection from animals for the first time in Britain. Brucella canis is more common in parts of Eastern Europe and had previously only been seen in isolated incidents from animals imported from the region.

However, The Mirror reports that cases among dogs in the UK are soaring, with 91 reported this year alone. Experts believe the cases have come from contact between British dogs and imported dogs in kennels as well as the pups of imports at breeders.

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Nine cases were reported in 2020, which climbed to 36 the following year and it went up to 55 in 2022. As of July this year, 91 cases were reported in the UK, according to government data. The cross-Government group Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) said that although the risk to the human population was low, dog breeders, people who work at vets or kennels and owners of infected dogs, are more at risk of being exposed to the disease.

It said that severe cases could be deadly to humans, with immunocompromised people and vulnerable people at greater risk. In a new report published on Brucella canis, HAIRS said that a total of three cases of the infection in people in the UK have been confirmed.

In one case, the person was asymptomatic and the infection was picked up as they were a veterinary surgery worker who underwent routine testing after coming into contact with an infected dog. Another case was identified when the patient went to hospital after suffering from symptoms.

Breeders or charities importing dogs from abroad have been urged to carry out tests before the dogs leave their country of origin, with vets encouraged to use PPE when treating dogs imported from overseas. Of the 91 cases reported in dogs this year, clinical information was available for 22 of them and of those 14 of the infected dogs had come from Romania. Romania is one of the biggest sources of imported dogs into the UK, with over 70,000 imported to Britain in 2020 and 2021.

The disease can be painful for dogs, causing infertility, swollen testes in male dogs, lethargy, premature ageing and lameness from back pain. However, for some it might be asymptomatic. In humans it can cause mild flu-like symptoms which can make it harder for doctors to spot.

It can strike years after exposure to the bacteria and it can recur over several years. Complications are rare but can include infections of the heart, bone, brain tissue and blood.

Dr Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), told The Telegraph: “We have had spread of a case in the UK to another dog in the UK. It is through breeding in kennels. There is not a lot – there is very little. But that is new for us.”

She explained the government was working to minimise the risks and recommended anyone looking to import a dog from regions where infections are more common to make sure they are tested before arriving in the UK.

Wendi Shepherd, head of emerging Infections and zoonoses at UKHSA, added: “We have seen a small number of cases of Brucella canis in people in the UK this year. However, the risk to the general public in the UK is very low and the risk to people who have had close contact with an infected dog is low. From the small number of cases of the infection that have been reported in humans worldwide, the infection is usually mild, but people who have weakened immune systems, are pregnant, or are young children may be more likely to experience more serious infection.”