In a follow-up to a story from last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory over the third Brucella RB51 infection since mid-2017.
The current investigation is associated with the third known case of brucellosis from Brucella RB51 in a New York resident who who drank raw milk purchased from Miller’s Biodiversity Farm in Quarryville, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with brucellosis in November 2018.
Milk samples from the dairy tested positive for Brucella strain RB51. People who consumed raw milk or raw milk products from this dairy since January 2016 may have been exposed.
As of January 22, 2019, exposures have been identified in 19 states: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
CDC notes that Brucella strain RB51 is a live-attenuated cattle vaccine strain, which can be shed in milk and can cause infections in humans. RB51 is resistant to rifampin and penicillin. There is no serological test available to detect RB51 infection. Blood culture is the recommended diagnostic test for exposed individuals who are symptomatic.
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“RB51 is a live-attenuated cattle vaccine strain”
Why is a live vaccine used? If it was the dead type, disease transference would not happen. It requires additional booster shots, but it saves human lives.