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TropicalMed
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Advances in Brucella Infections
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Advances in Brucella Infections

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 2430

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mariana Cristina Ferrero

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Guest Editor
1. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos (ICTAER), CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Entre Ríos, CONICET Santa Fe, Predio CONICET “Dr. Alberto Cassano”, Colectora Ruta Nac. Nº 168, Km. 0, Paraje El Pozo, Santa Fe 3000, Argentina
2. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Junín 954, C1113 AAD, Cdad., Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Interests: vaccine; immune response; Brucella; outer membrane vesicle
Dr. Jorge C. Wallach

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Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas (IIB-UNSAM-CONICET), Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Av. 25 de Mayo 1169, San Martín B1650, Argentina
Interests: human brucellosis; epidemiology; clinical management
Dr. Pablo C. Baldi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Cátedra de Inmunología, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina
2. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral (IDEHU), CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires 1113, Argentina
Interests: Brucella; immunopathology; gestational complications; airborne brucellosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Brucella species are among the most important zoonotic pathogens worldwide, causing significant human disease and major economic losses in livestock production. These facultative intracellular bacteria have developed complex strategies to invade host cells, survive within intracellular niches, and evade immune responses, leading to chronic infections that are difficult to control.

In recent years, considerable progress has been made in understanding Brucella biology, including its physiology, metabolism, and interactions with animal and human hosts. This knowledge is key to improving diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

This Special Issue will bring together original research, reviews, and perspectives covering all aspects of Brucella infection and biology. We welcome contributions from varied fields, such as basic research, translational studies, and applied approaches to disease control.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Physiology, metabolism, and genetic diversity of Brucella species;
  • Mechanisms of invasion, intracellular survival, and persistence;
  • Virulence factors and their role in growth, colonization, and immune evasion;
  • Host immune responses (innate and adaptive);
  • Advances in novel vaccines;
  • Diagnostic tools and biomarkers;
  • Pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions;
  • Epidemiology, transmission, and one health strategies;
  • New approaches to treatment and control.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this Special Issue and highlighting recent advances that can help to tackle this important zoonotic disease.

Dr. Mariana Cristina Ferrero
Dr. Jorge C. Wallach
Dr. Pablo C. Baldi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Brucella
  • zoonosis
  • intracellular survival
  • immune evasion
  • vaccine development

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 12394 KB  
Article
Brucella abortus Infection Promotes Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation Toward Adipogenesis, Enhancing the Proinflammatory Profile
by Rosa Nicole Freiberger, Cynthia Alicia Marcela López, María Belén Palma, Cintia Cevallos, Franco Agustin Sviercz, Patricio Jarmoluk, Marcela Nilda García, Jorge Quarleri and M. Victoria Delpino
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2026, 11(5), 112; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed11050112 - 23 Apr 2026
Viewed by 404
Abstract
The most common complication of active brucellosis in humans is osteoarticular injury. In the bone marrow microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into either adipocytes or osteoblasts, and this balance is tightly regulated because an increase in adipogenesis may negatively affect bone [...] Read more.
The most common complication of active brucellosis in humans is osteoarticular injury. In the bone marrow microenvironment, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into either adipocytes or osteoblasts, and this balance is tightly regulated because an increase in adipogenesis may negatively affect bone formation and favor bone loss. The differentiation of MSCs into adipocytes or osteoblasts is tightly regulated by mechanisms that promote cell fate toward one lineage while repressing the other. Our study demonstrated that Brucella abortus infects MSCs but does not affect the deposition of organic and mineral matrix during osteoblast differentiation. However, the infection upregulates Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor Kappa-B Ligand (RANKL) expression in osteoblasts, which may contribute to osteoclast activation and bone resorption. Conversely, B. abortus infection significantly influences adipocyte differentiation by modulating lipolysis, lipogenesis, and interactions between lipid droplets and mitochondria. This leads to increased cellular cholesterol levels and reduced intracellular triglycerides, accompanied by glycerol release. These changes result in more differentiated adipocytes and larger lipid droplets. Consequently, we observed increased IL-6 secretion and a higher leptin/adiponectin ratio. Importantly, these effects were independent of a functional type IV secretion system (T4SS), as purified Brucella DNA fully reproduced the adipogenic phenotype. Moreover, inhibition of TLR9—the primary sensor of bacterial DNA—significantly reduced the DNA-induced adipogenic response, demonstrating that adipocyte modulation is at least in part mediated through TLR9 signaling. In summary, B. abortus promotes MSC differentiation toward an inflammatory adipocyte phenotype. It involves a TLR-9-mediated DNA detection. It may contribute to osteoarticular injury and infection-associated bone resorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Brucella Infections)
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19 pages, 4333 KB  
Article
Pathogenicity of Brucella sp. ST27 Kogia sima Isolates in Murine and Cell Models
by Andrea Romero-Magaña, Carlos Chacón-Díaz, Alejandro Alfaro-Alarcón, Marcela Suárez-Esquivel, Esteban Chaves-Olarte, Gabriela Hernández-Mora, Edgardo Moreno and Elías Barquero-Calvo
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2026, 11(4), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed11040098 - 7 Apr 2026
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Abstract
Members of the genus Brucella are bacterial pathogens of global importance, and their increasing detection in marine mammals has raised concerns for wildlife conservation and public health. In this study, we evaluated the biological and pathogenic characteristics of two Brucella sp. sequence type [...] Read more.
Members of the genus Brucella are bacterial pathogens of global importance, and their increasing detection in marine mammals has raised concerns for wildlife conservation and public health. In this study, we evaluated the biological and pathogenic characteristics of two Brucella sp. sequence type 27 (ST27) isolates obtained from a dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima). We compared them with terrestrial and marine Brucella reference strains. We assessed resistance to polymyxin B and human serum complement, intracellular infection dynamics in HeLa epithelial cells, persistence in a murine model, and associated hematological and histopathological changes, and analyzed lipopolysaccharide (LPS) profiles. The Kogia isolates exhibited resistance to polymyxin B and serum complement, comparable to that of B. abortus 2308W and marine mammal Brucella strains. In HeLa cells, the isolates displayed distinct, strain-specific intracellular infection dynamics. In the murine model, both isolates persisted in the spleen and induced granulomatous lesions. However, splenic bacterial loads and histopathological scores were generally lower than those observed with B. abortus 2308W, which exhibited the highest virulence among the strains evaluated. Hematological alterations associated with Kogia isolates were also less pronounced than those induced by B. abortus 2308W, indicating an intermediate and strain-dependent virulence phenotype without evidence of enhanced virulence relative to the terrestrial reference strain. Western blot analyses showed that Brucella sp. ST27 isolates were not recognized by anti-B. abortus or anti-O-antigen monoclonal antibodies, while exhibiting a distinct recognition pattern with anti-B. canis serum, indicating differences in surface antigen composition. Comparative whole-genome analysis identified a limited number of isolate-specific variants affecting coding and intergenic regions. Collectively, these findings highlight phenotypic and genetic features of Brucella sp. ST27 from Kogia sima, which distinguishes it from other marine and terrestrial Brucella strains and supports further investigation into its biological behavior and potential public health relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Brucella Infections)
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18 pages, 1524 KB  
Article
A 3D Organotypic Human Bronchial Model Reveals Persistent Infection and Modulated Inflammatory Response when Exposed to Brucella abortus
by Iván Mathias Alonso Paiva, Florencia Muñoz González, Cecilia Rotondaro, Magali Bialer, Paula Arias, Arlinet Kierbel, Mariana C. Ferrero and Pablo C. Baldi
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2026, 11(3), 78; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed11030078 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 651
Abstract
Brucella infection is frequently acquired by inhalation, but the pathogen disseminates systemically from the lungs. However, little is known about the interaction of Brucella spp. with the airways. Using a 3D air-exposed organotypic human bronchial tissue model (polarized 16HBE14o- bronchial epithelial cells grown [...] Read more.
Brucella infection is frequently acquired by inhalation, but the pathogen disseminates systemically from the lungs. However, little is known about the interaction of Brucella spp. with the airways. Using a 3D air-exposed organotypic human bronchial tissue model (polarized 16HBE14o- bronchial epithelial cells grown over a collagen matrix containing MRC-5 lung fibroblasts), we analyzed Brucella abortus replication, translocation and cytokine responses over prolonged post-infection times. Apically inoculated B. abortus invaded, replicated and persisted during the whole follow-up (16 days) within the bronchial tissue without inducing cytotoxicity. Viable bacteria were also detected in the conditioned medium (CM) since day five post-infection, indicating release from the basolateral side. In parallel experiments, no invasion or bacterial release was detected for Escherichia coli. The levels of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 were increased in CM from Brucella-infected 3D cultures and in monocultures of polarized bronchial epithelial cells or lung fibroblasts. Collagenase/gelatinase activity was increased in 3D cultures and MRC-5 monocultures. Infection transference from bronchial cells to lung fibroblasts was documented using monocultures. An immune cross-talk was detected, as cytokine levels were increased in fibroblasts stimulated with bronchial CM, and vice versa. These results suggest that the bronchial mucosa can sustain B. abortus persistence, replication and dissemination, and that it induces a proinflammatory response to which both epithelial cells and fibroblasts contribute. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Brucella Infections)
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