Animals play an important role in the lives of all Iowans. From pets offering companionship and comfort, the role wildlife plays in nature, and production animals providing safe and nutritious foods, our animals help promote healthy habits.
With agriculture and food production a main economic driver in Iowa, our state provides countless opportunities for Iowans to work with, learn about, and enjoy animals. Since germs are found everywhere in the environment, all living things carry germs, and people and animals can share germs between each other, Iowa HHS has resources to help promote safe human-animal interactions. These resources provide information on prevention and control steps that anyone can take around animals to protect both human health and animal health.
No. Canine brucellosis has been recognized in dogs for decades and infections in people remain very rare.
People typically get Brucella canis when infectious canine reproductive materials or bodily fluids contact broken skin or mucous membranes. Less commonly, people can inhale aerosolized particles when assisting with births or handling aborted tissues. Transmission via contaminated surfaces (bedding, kennels, equipment) is possible but has not been documented in people.
Close contact exposures include:
Vaginal discharge, semen, birthing fluids, and aborted fetuses (high risk)
Aerosolized droplets during handling of infected tissues (high risk)
Blood, urine, saliva, and other excretions (low risk)
Contaminated kennels, equipment, or bedding (theoretical/rare)
People at higher risk include:
Dog breeders, kennel workers, and whelping assistants
Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and clinic staff
Laboratory personnel handling B. canis cultures
Pet owners assisting with births or handling aborted material
Hunters or wildlife professionals handling wild canids
Household contacts who have a weakened immune system
This can include people on treatments that lower immunity (like chemotherapy, long-term steroids, or biologic drugs) people living with HIV or anyone who’s had leukemia, lymphoma or an organ/bone marrow transplant
Symptoms usually begin 2–4 weeks after exposure (sometimes as early as 3 days or as late as 8 weeks).
Common signs:
Undulating fevers, chills, drenching night sweats
Headache, profound fatigue, muscle aches
Joint pain (back, hips, knees) and unintended weight loss
Swollen lymph nodes; mild liver or spleen enlargement
Severe but uncommon complications include endocarditis and meningitis, which require immediate care. In pregnant women, infection with Brucella species is associated with increased risks of miscarriage, preterm delivery, and stillbirth. In men, Brucella infection can lead to long-term sterility if not treated promptly
There are no FDA-cleared serologic or molecular tests for Brucella canis available in U.S. clinical laboratories. Commercial Brucella panels target smooth species (for example, B. melitensis) and will not detect rough strains like B. canis. If your provider orders standard Brucella testing, it only screens for livestock-associated species, not the dog-associated species.
More advanced diagnostics are limited to public health laboratories and include isolation and culture of B. canis from blood or tissue, followed by species-specific PCR.
In most cases, infection in people remains a diagnosis of exclusion and providers must take a detailed exposure history, rule out other causes of fever, and send samples to a public health lab when B. canis is suspected.
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you’ve had high-risk contact without Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). They may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection.
Seek urgent evaluation if you’re immunocompromised.
Monitor for symptoms and notify your healthcare provider if you feel unwell.
Fewer than 100 human B. canis cases have been reported worldwide, so the exact incubation period isn’t established. But in other forms of brucellosis, illness typically appears 2 to 8 weeks post-exposure.
In high-risk scenarios (heavy exposure, immunocompromise, aerosol-generating events), maintain symptom vigilance up to 6 months.
Brucella canis infection in humans is treatable with prolonged antibiotic regimens:
Doxycycline combined with an aminoglycoside (e.g., streptomycin or gentamicin) for at least six weeks.
Close clinical follow-up.
Always wear gloves, eye protection, and a mask.
Pick up and bag waste or soiled items.
Scrub hard surfaces with soap and water.
Mix 1 cup of bleach per gallon of water (or use a pet-safe disinfectant), spray, and keep surfaces visibly wet for at least 10 minutes before allowing them to dry.
Wash bedding, towels, and toys in hot water (add bleach if fabric-safe) and dry on high heat.
For outdoor patios or runs - clear debris, spray with the same solution, wait 10 minutes, rinse, and let it sun dry.
For grass or dirt - lightly hose the spot, mist with ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water (or disinfectant), let sit 10 minutes, rinse, and sun dry.
Always wash your hands thoroughly when you’re done.
Dogs infected with Brucella canis remain lifelong carriers. They can shed bacteria in their urine, saliva, and reproductive fluids, putting people and other dogs at risk even years after a positive test. Your veterinarian can try antibiotic treatment, but it rarely clears the infection completely. Spaying or neutering will not eliminate B. canis either, since the bacteria can hide in the bone marrow.
Because of the constant risk to human and animal health, work closely with your veterinarian and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In many cases, humane euthanasia is a reasonable choice to protect your family, other pets and your community.
Strict hand hygiene and personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential when handling potentially infected dogs, especially during breeding, whelping, or any contact with reproductive materials. These resources provide additional information on Canine Brucellosis.
There is no better place that showcases Iowa’s agricultural heritage than our state, district, and county fairs. Healthy animals and healthy people go together. The following Iowa HHS resources can be used to help keep everyone at the fair, including animals, healthy.
The best way to stop germs from spreading in any setting is with good hand hygiene. The following signs are free to use in any setting where people need to be reminded to wash their hands after interacting with animals.
While hand washing is the first step to staying healthy to enjoy fairs, don’t forget to take steps to avoid foodborne illness, getting overheated and dehydrated, or accidentally bringing germs home. These flyers are free to use to educate fair goers before, during, and after visiting a fair.
Many steps that keep livestock and poultry healthy when properly implemented, also keep workers healthy. The following handout highlights steps any farm can take to protect both their workers and animals from novel flu viruses: Worker Health, Safety, and on-farm Biosecurity (515.89 KB) .pdf .
For mental health resources during events that impact animal populations, explore the Emergency Livestock Management toolkit from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, a practical guide designed to support animal care professionals available in English, Spanish and French.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthy Pets, Healthy People - The CDC is a federal authority that provides guidance for state and local organizations regarding human diseases. The Healthy Pets Healthy People website provides pet owners with safe handling tips and general information on animal-transmitted diseases.
Companion Animal Parasite Council - The Companion Animal Parasite Council website provides information for veterinary and medical professionals concerning particular diseases. More specifically, it offers in-depth knowledge on external (such as ticks and fleas) and internal (such as roundworms and hookworms) parasites of dogs and cats.
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians - The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians website provides standardized national recommendations for particular zoonotic disease issues such as rabies, psittacosis, and animals in public settings.
The Center for Food Security & Public Health - The Center for Food Security and Public Health is associated with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine that serves to promote awareness of animal diseases, particularly zoonotic diseases and potential biowarfare agents. The website provides numerous general and technical factsheets on specific diseases as well as excellent resources for cleaning and disinfection methods.
