Brucella suis (B. suis)

Brucella suis is a Gram-negative, coccobacillary, facultative intracellular bacterium that primarily infects swine and is a significant zoonotic pathogen in humans (CDC, 2021). It is one of the primary species responsible for brucellosis, a chronic and often debilitating systemic infection characterized by undulant fever, joint pain, and potential organ damage (StatPearls, 2023). The bacterium is highly adapted for intracellular survival, utilizing a Type IV secretion system to manipulate host cell trafficking and replicate within macrophages (PubMed, 2018). Because Brucella suis is a whole organism rather than a single molecule, it is not a therapeutic target in the classical sense; instead, its various metabolic and structural components are targeted by combination antibiotic therapies (WHO, 2006). Treatment typically requires long-term administration of drugs like doxycycline and rifampin to ensure penetration into the intracellular niche and to minimize the high risk of disease relapse (NIH, 2022). Furthermore, B. suis is classified as a Tier 1 select agent due to its low infectious dose and potential for aerosolized transmission (CDC, 2021).

Other names

B. suisSwine brucellosis agent

Antibiotics targeting Brucella suis act by inhibiting essential bacterial processes; for instance, tetracyclines and aminoglycosides bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit to block protein synthesis, while rifampin inhibits DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (StatPearls, 2023; WHO, 2006).