Increasing Threat of Brucellosis to Low-Risk Persons in Urban Settings, China

Cases of brucellosis were diagnosed in 3-month-old twins and their mother.An epidemiologic survey suggested that raw sheep or goat meat might be the source of Brucella melitensis infection.This finding implies that the increasing threat of brucellosis might affect low-risk persons in urban settings in China.B rucellosis, a zoonotic disease, causes severe pain and impairment in humans.In 2012, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) reported 39,515 new cases of human brucellosis, and this number is increasing by 10% each year.Generally, brucellosis is associated with persons who are occupationally in contact with Brucella spp.-infected animals or products (1,2).However, in this report, we present a cluster of cases of brucellosis in a family living in Guangzhou, China.These data illustrate a trend of human brucellosis threatening theoretically low-risk persons in an urban setting and suggest a need for eradicating or controlling Brucella spp.-infected animals and products in China. Case ReportsCongenital brucellosis was diagnosed in patients 1 and 2, who were 3-month-old twins (online Technical Appendix Table, wwwnc.cdc.gov/EID/article/20/1/13-0324-Techapp1.pdf).They were prematurely delivered by cesarean section on July 6, 2012, at the Provincial Maternity and Child Care Center (Guangzhou, China).The boy (patient 1, Apgar score 9-10/1-10 min) had a birthweight of 2.3 kg, and the girl (patient 2, Apgar score 9-10/1-10 min) had a birthweight of 1.8 kg.They received standard care for preterm neonates at the hospital.They were discharged once their weight reached 2.5 kg; this happened for patient 1 at