Risk factors:
(1) close contact with someone with brucellosis (another case in the home)
(2) consumption of unpasteurized milk or cheese made from unpasteurized milk
(3) farmer or shepherd
(4) slaughterhouse (abattoir) worker
(5) veterinarian
(6) microbiologist handling a culture containing a Brucella species
(7) biological warfare or terrorist incident
(8) marine mammal worker
(9) any direct contact with an infected animal or its secretions or products of conception
(10) ingestion of raw or barely cooked meat
Animals that may be infected:
(1) dogs
(2) goats and sheep
(3) cattle
(4) pigs
(5) camels
(6) yaks
(7) marine mammals
(8) buffalo
(9) reindeer and caribou
(10) foxes and wolves
(11) rabbits
(12) humans
Routes of exposure:
(1) direct skin contact
(2) inhalation of aerosols
(3) ingestion
(4) inoculation onto conjunctiva
(5) rarely blood transfusion or organ transplantation
