Brucellosis can be contracted by touching, eating, drinking, or breathing in Brucella bacteria. This can happen through the consumption of raw dairy products, breathing in the bacteria while working in a meat-packing plant or a laboratory, and through open skin wounds by direct contact while working in a slaughterhouse, meat-packing plant, veterinarian office, while field dressing game or generally handling a sick or dead animal.1 2
Person-to-person transmission is very rare but the bacteria can be passed to a breastfeeding child. The infection is treated with a combination of two or more different antibiotics, such as doxycycline with gentamicin or doxycycline with rifampicin.
Please see General Information on Medication for more information on breastfeeding safety and commonly used antibiotics.
If it becomes necessary to interrupt breastfeeding, in order to maintain supply, milk can be pumped and discarded during the treatment period. If you have been diagnosed with brucellosis, please consult with your healthcare provider for healthy nursing options.
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