[Taxonomic position and ecology of the causative agent of brucellosis isolated from murine rodents in regions of the northern foothills of the Greater Caucasus. II. The ecological and pathogenetic characteristics of Brucella strains isolated from murine rodents].

To establish the possibility of the circulation of brucellae among the population of myomorphous rodents, the mass survey of these rodents was carried out in the mountainous and foothill regions of the Caucasus. In the area of the northern foothills of the Caucasian Mountains 23 Brucella cultures were isolated from 2715 rodents under examination; these cultures proved to be similar to B. suis 1330 in respect to their pathogenicity and the character of pathomorphological changes induced in guinea pigs. Experiments on white mice demonstrated the possibility of brucellar contamination through sexual route and through feces.