A rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) model of aerosol-exposure brucellosis (Brucella suis): pathology and diagnostic implications

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Brucella as a potential bioterrorism threat requiring enhanced diagnostic capacity and surveillance (http://emergency.cdc.gov/bioterrorism/). Successful treatment and management of patients after exposure to biological threat agents depends on accurate and timely diagnosis, but many biothreat agents present with similar, vague clinical signs – commonly referred to as ‘flu-like illness’. Diagnosis of brucellosis is notoriously challenging, especially early in infection, and definitive diagnosis may require invasive methods, e.g. bone marrow biopsy. We studied the pathogenesis of Brucella suis aerosol infection in rhesus macaques in an effort to guide the diagnostic algorithm in case of possible intentional exposure of humans. Rhesus proved to be an excellent model for human brucellosis; the data showed that PCR DNA amplification testing of non-invasive diagnostic samples has the potential to definitively detect a point-source outbreak immediately and for several days after exposure.