Dog owners in the UK have issued an emergency alert after a dog passed on to its owner a rare disease. A woman is hospitalized after contracting brucella canisinfectious bacterial infection caused by bacteria, from foster dogs, in the first confirmed case of dog-to-human transmission in the UK.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) issues a stern warning about the risk of serious illness when importing dogs from overseas and urges all potential dog owners to protect the health of dogs and people around the world.
The animal that transmits this disease is a rescue dog imported from Belarus in March this year. The woman who kept the dog was hospitalized after coming into close contact with him. The foster animal and four pet dogs affected by the disease had to be euthanized.
Stray dogs in some European countries and other parts of the world often live in harsh conditions. Along with Brucella canis, they can harbor other undetected and life-threatening exotic diseases not found throughout Europe, such as leishmaniasis, rabies, canine babesiosis and heartworms, without showing outward clinical symptoms.
When imported, these chronically infected “Trojans” or carrier dogs run the risk of transmitting the infection to susceptible pets and, in the case of some diseases, to humans as well. These infections can be difficult to detect or treat successfully in these carrier dogs.
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