Brucellosis Brucellosis Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever and Mediterranean fever. "Brucella" species are small, gram-negative, nonmotile, nonspore-forming, rod-shaped (coccobacilli) bacteria. They function as facultative intracellular parasites, causing chronic disease, which usually persists for life. Four species infect humans: "B. abortus", "B. canis", "B. melitensis", and "B. suis". "B. abortus" is less virulent than "B. melitensis" and is primarily a disease of cattle. "B. canis" affects dogs. "B. melitensis" is the most virulent and
Milk crate Theft of milk crates can cost dairies millions of US dollars per year. This has led at least one dairy farm to hire a private investigator to discover what is happening to the crates; the results of investigations point to plastic re-sellers being the culprits in the majority of thefts. In July 2008, Wal-Mart and some other stores introduced a square milk jug that does not need to be transported in a crate. Sometimes called "green" milk jugs, they are not green in color, but rather are claimed to be environmentally friendly. These new milk jugs are stackable, and can