A cluster of Brucella melitensis in Melbourne, Australia 2023: clinical and public health actions
Brucellosis is a rare zoonotic infection most commonly seen in parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Infections in Australia are uncommon and occur predominantly in Queensland and New South Wales due to the association with wild pig hunting activities. We describe a clustering of two cases of brucellosis in Victoria confirmed by genomic analysis but with no identified exposure. We detail the medical management, laboratory confirmation, and the public health investigation. While the source of the outbreak remains unclear, the two cases demonstrate a detailed and coordinated public health response to a rare infection with a unique geographical and temporal relationship.
Authors
- Tony M. Korman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6155-8353)
- Rhonda L. Stuart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3487-7244)
- Christian McGrath
- Fiona Clarke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0298-9601)
- Norelle L. Sherry (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7789-8360)
- Jake A. Lacey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6492-6983)
- Anna Pierce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3918-0091)
- James McMahon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1460-5572)
- Edura Jalil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5132-4811)
- Aswan Tai
- Manogna Metlapalli
Institutions
- Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (AU)
- The Alfred Hospital (AU)
- Peter Doherty Institute (AU)
- Monash Health (AU)
- Austin Health (AU)
- Monash University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communicable Diseases Intelligence
- Published
- 2025-03-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2025.49.015
- Primary Topic
- Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00