Laboratorial diagnosis of animal brucellosis Diagnóstico laboratorial da brucelose

Brucellosis, originally known as a Malta fever or undulant fever, is a disease caused by bacteria of the genus Brucella that are host restricted and affect several mammalian species, including humans. It is a zoonosis widely distributed around the world, which causes great economic losses in farm animals due to abortion, the slaughter of infected animals, birth of weak animals, decrease in milk production, and infertility. In humans, brucellosis is a debilitating disease with variable clinical manifestations that can result in death in some cases. Control of brucellosis in animals requires a correct diagnosis, culling of infected animals, and permanent monitoring of brucellosis-free herds. Although a clinical presumptive diagnosis is important, it is subjective, and therefore, laboratorial tests including direct and indirect methods are extremely important for an accurate diagnosis. This review discusses current methods for laboratorial diagnosis of brucellosis using clinical samples, from animals or humans.