Brucellosis Malta to the point of it being referred to as "Maltese fever". Since 2005, due to a strict regimen of certification of milk animals and widespread use of pasteurization, the illness has been eradicated from Malta. Ireland was declared free of brucellosis on 1 July 2009. The disease had troubled the country's farmers and veterinarians for several decades. The Irish government submitted an application to the European Commission, which verified that Ireland had been liberated. Brendan Smith, Ireland's then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said the elimination of brucellosis was "a landmark in the history of disease eradication
Swine brucellosis nickel transport, "nikA", is activated by metal ion deficiency and is expressed once in the phagosome. Nickel is essential for many enzymatic reactions, including ureolysis to produce ammonia which in turn may neutralize acidic pH. Since "B. suis" is unable to grow in a strongly acidic medium, it could be protected from acidification by the ammonia. Summary: The most frequent clinical sign following "B. suis" infection is abortion in pregnant females, reduced milk production, and infertility. Cattle can also be transiently infected when they share pasture or facilities with infected pigs, and "B. suis" can be transmitted by cow’s milk.