National case definition: Brucellosis

Date of last revision/review: May 2008

National notification

Only confirmed cases of disease should be notified.

Type of surveillance

Routine case-by-case notification to the federal level

Case classification

Confirmed case

Clinical illness with laboratory confirmation of infection:

• Isolation of Brucella sp. from an appropriate clinical specimen
  or
• A significant (i.e., fourfold or greater) rise in Brucella agglutination titre between acute and convalescent serum specimens obtained 2 or more weeks apart and tested at the same laboratory

Probable case

• Clinical illness in a person who is epidemiologically linked to a confirmed animal case
  or
• Clinical illness with supportive serology (Brucella agglutination test titre of 1:160 or higher in one or more serum specimens obtained after onset of symptoms)

Clinical evidence

Clinical illness characterized by acute or insidious onset of fever, night sweats, undue fatigue, anorexia, weight loss, headache and arthralgia.

ICD code(s)

ICD-10 code(s)

• A23 Brucellosis (includes fever: Matla, Mediterranean, undulant)
  • A23.0   Brucellosis due to Brucella melitensis
  • A23.1   Brucellosis due to Brucella abortus
  • A23.2   Brucellosis due to Brucella suis
  • A23.3   Brucellosis due to Brucella canis
  • A23.8   Other brucellosis
  • A23.9   Brucellosis, unspecified

ICD 9 code(s)

• 023 Brucellosis, (Includes fever: Malta, Mediterranean, undulant)
• 023.8 Other brucellosis, Infection by more than one organism
• 023.9 Brucellosis, unspecified

Comments

Probable case definitions are provided as guidelines to assist with case finding and public health management, and are not for national notification purposes.