TY - JOUR AU - De Massis, Fabrizio AU - Sacchini, Flavio AU - Petrini, Antonio AU - Bellucci, Fabio AU - Perilli, Margherita AU - Garofolo, Giuliano AU - Savini, Giovanni AU - Tittarelli, Manuela PY - 2022/06/29 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Canine brucellosis due to Brucella canis: description of the disease and control measures JF - Veterinaria Italiana JA - VetIt VL - 58 IS - 1 SE - Review DO - 10.12834/VetIt.2561.16874.1 UR - https://veterinariaitaliana.izs.it/index.php/VetIt/article/view/2561 SP - 5-23 AB - <p>Brucellosis is a contagious disease caused by bacteria of the genus <em>Brucella</em>, which can affect different animal species. Dogs may occasionally be infected with <em>B. abortus</em>, <em>B. melitensis</em> or <em>B. suis</em>, or by the endemic form of the disease, caused by <em>B. canis</em>. Among the brucellosis‑affecting domestic animals, that of the dog is certainly the least frequent, but also the least studied. Canine brucellosis due to <em>B. canis</em> represents the dog‑specific brucellosis, both because it is the main susceptible animal species, and because it constitutes its fundamental reservoir of infection. The disease can also affect humans, although its course does not assume the characteristics of severity typical of the infection determined by the ‘classical’ species of the genus <em>Brucella</em>. In Italy, there are frequent imports of dogs from countries where the disease is present, often with non‑controlled movements and without sanitary controls. Considering that the zoonotic potential of the disease can be favored by the close cohabitation between man and dog, which occurs especially in urban environments, canine brucellosis has to be regarded as a public health problem susceptible to introduction and spread in the Italian territory.</p> ER -