Identification of Source of Brucella suis Infection in Human by Whole-Genome Sequencing, United States and Tonga

Abstract

Brucella suis infection was diagnosed in a man from Tonga, Polynesia, who had butchered swine in Oregon, USA. Although the US commercial swine herd is designated brucellosis-free, exposure history suggested infection from commercial pigs. We used whole-genome sequencing to determine that the man was infected in Tonga, averting a field investigation.

Keywords

• Brucella suis
• brucellosis
• whole-genome sequencing
• genomic epidemiology
• zoonoses
• boar