Three people infected with dog disease in the UK for first time as cases spread

Three people in the UK have been infected with a dog disease which has been spreading between canines.

Brucella canis is an incurable condition and can lead to infertility, lameness and pain in dogs. However, the UK Health Security Agency has now confirmed three Brits have caught the bacterial infection from animals for the first time, reports the Mirror.

Experts say new cases come from contact between British dogs and imported dogs in kennels as well as the offspring of imports at breeders, and cases have soared in recent years. There were just 9 cases in 2020, and have now climbed to 91.

The illness is endemic in places like Eastern Europe, and previously the disease had only been seen in isolated incidents in animals imported from the region.

The cross-Government group Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) have said the risk to humans is low.

A statement from the UKHSA reads: “Human cases are rarely reported globally, most likely due to the non-specific nature of infection, generally mild symptoms, lack of serology tests, and because it is generally acknowledged to be less virulent to humans.”

Dog breeders, people who work at vets or kennels and owners of infected dogs, are more at risk of being exposed to the disease. Severe cases could be life threatening to humans with immunocompromised people at greater risk.

A vet worker is one of the people that has become infected. They underwent routine testing after coming into contact with an infected dog. Another case was diagnosed after the patient went to hospital after suffering from symptoms.

Breeders or charities importing dogs from overseas have been warned to carry out tests before the dogs leave their country of origin, meanwhile vets are being urged to use PPE when treating dogs imported from overseas.

A huge number of the 91 cases in dogs had been canines that had been come from Romania. The country is one of the biggest sources of imported dogs into the UK, with over 70,000 imported to Britain in 2020 and 2021.

In dogs the disease can include the following symptoms: infertility, swollen testes in male dogs, lethargy, premature ageing and lameness from back pain. But some infections in dogs are asymptomatic.

Humans will experience mild flu-like symptoms that can make it hard for doctors to spot. The disease can strike years after exposure to the bacteria and it can recur over several years. Dangerous 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 said the government was working to minimise the risks posed and recommended prospective owners make sure any dog imported from regions where Brucella canis is present is tested before arrival.

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.”

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