K-Bar Dairy Case Study

The K-Bar Dairy is located in the quiet rural city of Paradise, TX. Located well outside of the hustle and bustle of the Dallas, Fort Worth Metropolis, this small community is accustomed to staying out of the media spotlight. Nevertheless, attention has been brought to this area after a recent reported outbreak of Brucellosis (CDC, 2017- PR). This disease is a food borne illness that can be caused by the bacterial infection of Brucella abortus. During the 2017 summer, a case of Brucellosis was confirmed following the hospitalization of a Texas resident. The cause of illness in this suspected index case was raw dairy products from the K-Bar Dairy. Modern health trends and fads suggest benefits from consuming raw or unpasteurized dairy products.

A 2012 study conducted in a rural area of Mexico provides a more likely setting for the disease outbreak. In the State of Guanajuato, a community with a small population was reported to have multiple Brucellosis cases. At the time 700 cows from 14 different farmers were reported in the community (OB Mex). Of those, only 2 farmers’ herds were vaccinated for B. abortus (OB Mex). Blood tests of the remaining cattle found 40 of the animals to be serologically positive for Brucella (OB Mex). From those 40, milk samples were taken which further identified 10 isolates of B. abortus, in addition to other Brucella strains (OB Mex). Of the 14 human participants, all were found positive for Brucellosis. Positive confirmation of this disease is done via blood testing, given the lack of disease specific symptoms. Considering the small population of this community, the number of confirmed cases is noteworthy. All of these individuals were given a 6 week antibiotic treatment which consisted of Rifampicin and Trimethoprim (OB Mex). According to the CDC, antibiotic treatment for this disease usually takes a few weeks to several months, with very few cases resulting in death

A 2011 outbreak in Israel gives an example of how contraction of Brucellosis can occur among other segments of the population. In this situation, 15 human cases of Brucellosis were identified in a 3 month period among a Bedouin community (OB Israel). For these nomadic people, living in close proximity to livestock is more common than in the United States. This increases the normally uncommon potential for infection via cutaneous or respiratory routes (BugBook). Additionally, this type of community is more likely to consume unpasteurized dairy products than people residing in developed countries. According to the Ministry of Health of Israel the incidence of Brucellosis among the Bedouin population was far more likely than overall nationwide occurrence (OB Israel). This finding represents a substantial disparity in disease