Brucella suis is a zoonotic disease of feral pigs that also affects pig hunting dogs, pig hunters, veterinarians and veterinary staff. In recent years the incidence of B. suis in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD) has increased. A cross-sectional study was conducted to document the seroprevalence, geographical extent and risk factors for B. suis in dogs at-risk of contracting the disease. Eligible dogs were those that were known to hunt or consume feral pig meat. Dogs were enrolled through private veterinary clinics and/or directly by District Veterinarians in six regions of NSW and QLD. Blood was collected by venepuncture and tested for B. suis antibodies using the Rose Bengal Test (RBT) followed by a Complement Fixation Test (CFT) if they returned a positive RBT. Owners were invited to complete a questionnaire on the dogs' signalment, husbandry including hunting practices and locations, and any clinical signs referable to brucellosis. Of the 317 dogs included in the prevalence survey, 21 were seropositive returning a survey-adjusted true seroprevalence of 9.3 (95% CI 0.45 to 18) B. suis positive dogs per 100 dogs at-risk. True seroprevalence ranged from 0 to 24 B. suis positive dogs per 100 across eastern Australia, with the highest prevalence in central west NSW and southern QLD. Adjusted for other factors, dogs that shared a household with other seropositive dogs and those that traveled away from their home regions to hunt were more likely to be seropositive. Clinical signs at presentation were not predictive of serostatus, with seropositive and seronegative dogs equally likely to present with signs consistent with brucellosis. The results obtained from this study show that B. suis exposure is relatively common in dogs that have contact with feral pigs, with one in 10 testing seropositive. Further studies are needed to understand the progression and risk of transmission from seropositive dogs.

猪布鲁氏菌是一种野猪的人畜共患疾病，也会影响猎猪犬、猎猪人、兽医和兽医工作人员。近年来发生B. 猪在澳大利亚东部的新南威尔士州 (NSW) 和昆士兰州 (QLD) 有所增加。进行了一项横断面研究以记录以下情况的血清阳性率、地理范围和风险因素B. 猪在有感染疾病风险的狗中。符合条件的狗是那些以狩猎或食用野猪肉而闻名的狗。狗是通过私人兽医诊所和/或直接由新南威尔士州和昆士兰州六个地区的地区兽医登记的。通过静脉穿刺收集血液并进行检测B. 猪使用玫瑰红试验 (RBT) 检测抗体，如果它们返回阳性 RBT，则进行补体固定试验 (CFT)。主人被邀请完成一份关于狗的信号、饲养包括狩猎实践和地点以及任何与布鲁氏菌病有关的临床症状的问卷。在流行率调查中包括的 317 只狗中，21 只血清阳性，经调查调整后的真实血清阳性率为 9.3（95% CI 0.45 至 18）B. 猪每 100 只处于危险中的狗中​​的阳性狗。真正的血清阳性率范围为 0 到 24B. 猪澳大利亚东部每 100 只狗阳性，新南威尔士州中西部和昆士兰州南部的患病率最高。调整其他因素后，与其他血清反应阳性的狗同住一个家庭的狗以及那些离开家乡去打猎的狗更有可能是血清反应阳性的。出现时的临床体征不能预测血清状态，血清阳性和血清阴性的狗同样可能出现与布鲁氏菌病一致的体征。本研究的结果表明，B. 猪在与野猪接触的狗中，暴露是相对常见的，十分之一的检测呈血清阳性。需要进一步的研究来了解血清阳性犬传播的进展和风险。