Brucellosis, an ailment stemming from the Brucella bacterial family, primarily afflicts cattle, goats, and sheep, causing substantial economic losses in the global livestock industry due to pregnancy loss. Beyond livestock, this disease poses a threat to human health, often transmitted via the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products or inhalation of spores from infected animal tissues. Animal related professions, like veterinary medicine, are at most risk.

In human cases, Brucellosis manifests with symptoms akin to arthritis, heart inflammation, and flu-like conditions. Yet, the bacteria's stealthy ability to infiltrate the human brain, causing neurobrucellosis, elevates the stakes. Neurobrucellosis, characterized by persistent neurological complications, headaches, nausea, disorientation, brain swelling, and, in severe instances, fatality, underscores the critical need for research breakthroughs in this domain.

A recent study conducted at the University of Missouri shines a light on the potential protective capacities of innate lymphoid cells and specific signaling proteins known as interferons in mitigating the detrimental neurological impacts of Brucella infection.

New research has answers

This research, supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and conducted using a mouse model, carries the promise of enhancing our approach to Brucellosis diagnosis and treatment.

"While Missouri has enjoyed a 'Brucellosis-free' status since 2004, and the disease has been significantly curtailed in both humans and domestic animals nationwide, it continues to persist in specific areas, such as among bison populations in Yellowstone National Park," explained Charles Moley, a veterinarian and current doctoral candidate in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), who spearheaded the study under the guidance of Jerod Skyberg, an associate professor in the CVM. "Globally, Brucellosis stands as one of the most prevalent zoonotic infections, transferring from animals to humans, affecting over 10 million individuals annually, primarily in regions like the Middle East and Mediterranean."

Moley, a veterinary scientist in the Comparative Medicine Program, hopes that his research insights into how Brucellosis impacts the brain will serve as a valuable resource for fellow researchers. The revelation of the pivotal protective roles played by innate lymphoid cells and interferons opens up the potential for more targeted therapeutic interventions for those worldwide grappling with neurobrucellosis. Additionally, it may lead to more precise diagnostic strategies, enabling the early identification of the disease before neurological symptoms manifest or worsen.

"The endeavors undertaken in MU's Laboratory for Infectious Disease Research hold the potential to enhance the well-being of both animals and humans—a truly gratifying prospect," expressed Moley. "Personal stories, such as one I recently heard from a friend of my grandfather's in Arizona, where a farmer succumbed to brucellosis in the 1950s, fuel my motivation to contribute to this research. I want to make a difference."

The research findings, titled "Innate lymphoid cells and interferons limit neurologic and articular complications of Brucellosis," have been published in The American Journal of Pathology. Read full article here: https://ajp.amjpathol.org/article/S0002-9440(23)00198-0/fulltext