Feeding of raw Brucella suis-infected meat to dogs in the UK

Following on from the letter regarding the identification of Brucella canis in imported dogs earlier this year ( VR , April 15, 2017, vol 180, pp 384-385), we write to highlight a further potential route of Brucella transmission into the UK. The UK was notified on October 4 that some consignments of raw, frozen hare meat, imported for use in raw pet food, may have contained meat from hares infected with Brucella suis . The product was purchased by a very small number of pet owners and retailers, and a recall of the potentially affected product has already been undertaken. The presence of B suis in the hare meat was identified following confirmation of brucellosis in a clinically affected dog in the Netherlands, which had been fed imported hare meat. The Dutch authorities then tested the imported meat and identified the same type of B suis found in the …