Brucella canis outbreak management towards rehoming strategies: The Italian experience

Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, is a contagious disease leading to reproductive disorders in both male and female dogs. In April 2020, Italy reported its first outbreak of B. canis in a central breeding kennel housing over 680 toy breed dogs. Following confirmation, animal movement was restricted, and a no-kill strategy was implemented to manage the outbreak. A structured protocol, integrating castration and neutering and serological testing, was developed to identify and rehome B. canis-negative dogs. This study describes the procedure used to select non-infected dogs and the follow-up monitoring protocol applied post-adoption. Over 300 dogs were successfully rehomed, with laboratory investigations confirming no occurrence of late infection in the adopted animals. These results support the inclusion of rehoming strategies as a viable option in B. canis outbreak management.

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Publication Details

Journal
PLoS ONE
Published
2026-06-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0351742
Primary Topic
Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Brucella canis outbreak management towards rehoming strategies: The Italian experience

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PLoS ONE
Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
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Brucella canis outbreak management towards rehoming strategies: The Italian experience

Manuela Tittarelli, Michela Toro, Flavio Sacchini, Fabrizio De Massis, Mirella Luciani, Marta Maggetti, Fabrizia Perletta, Daniele Giansante, Chiara Di Pancrazio, Nausica D’Aurelio, Sara Serrani, Alessandra Sferrella, Paola Ripà, Marusca Pantalone, Marco Violini
article en

Abstract

Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, is a contagious disease leading to reproductive disorders in both male and female dogs. In April 2020, Italy reported its first outbreak of B. canis in a central breeding kennel housing over 680 toy breed dogs. Following confirmation, animal movement was restricted, and a no-kill strategy was implemented to manage the outbreak. A structured protocol, integrating castration and neutering and serological testing, was developed to identify and rehome B. canis-negative dogs. This study describes the procedure used to select non-infected dogs and the follow-up monitoring protocol applied post-adoption. Over 300 dogs were successfully rehomed, with laboratory investigations confirming no occurrence of late infection in the adopted animals. These results support the inclusion of rehoming strategies as a viable option in B. canis outbreak management.

PLoS ONEVol. 21(6)
Azienda Sanitaria Locale di Asti (IT), Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale (IT)
Ministero della Salute
Openalex Percentile: Top 8%
Brucella: diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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