Three people in Britain have been infected with a dog disease which is now spreading between canines in the UK for the first time. 

Brucella canis, a bacterial infection, is an incurable disease in canines can lead to infertility, lameness and pain in dogs.

But the UK Health Security agency has now confirmed that three Brits have also caught the disease from infected animals, the first such cases ever found in the UK. 

And in another first Government experts today revealed they have now spotted the disease spreading among animals in the UK, albeit at low levels.

Cases found previously had been isolated incidents among animals imported from areas like Eastern Europe, where the disease is endemic. 

Three of the human cases of Brucella canis have now been spotted in the UK since 2022 health chiefs said. 

Cases among dogs in the UK have also skyrocketed, with a record 91 already spotted this year.

Dr Christine Middlemiss, chief veterinary officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), told The Telegraph: ‘We have had spread of a case in the UK to another dog in the UK. It is through breeding in kennels.  

‘There is not a lot – there is very little. But that is new for us.’

These UK-native cases of Brucella canis came from British dogs that had either had contact with an imported dog or were the offspring of an imported dog.

This means the disease isn’t considered endemic in the UK and is still officially classified as low risk.

Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS), a cross-Government group, today published a report on the risk Brucella canis poses.

HAIRS found that there is a ‘very low’ risk of someone in the population becoming infected.

However, dog breeders, people who work at vets or kennels and owners of infected dogs, are slightly more at risk of being exposed — but this is still classed as ‘low’, the HAIRS report states.

The group also found while the health risks of a Brucella canis infection were generally low, severe cases with life threatening complications had been reported and immunocompromised individuals could be at greater risk. 

In total three cases in people in the UK have been confirmed, with the HAIRS report detailing two.

The first was detected after attending hospital for their symptoms, while the second was found in an asymptomatic person working at a vets who was routinely tested after contact with an infected dog. 

HAIRS recommended that dog breeders and charities importing dogs from overseas should carry out pre-export testing for the disease.

They also advised that vets treating dogs imported from overseas use appropriate PPE to help minimise the risk of a potential infection.

Dr Middlemiss said the Government was currently considering introducing a mandatory testing requirement for dogs imported from Brucella canis hotspots. 

‘We are gathering the evidence, various risk assessments are contributing to that evidence and we will consider it,’ she said. 

While Brucella canis infection is not a death sentence for animals, it is considered a life-long disease, with no cure.

This is because the bacteria behind the disease can remain dormant in the dog even after treatment, meaning they remain potentially infectious.  

Therefore, the only way to guarantee onward transmission of the disease is euthanasia.

HAIRS said the decision on euthanasia is a matter for the owner of the animal and their vet and a willingness to accept the risks posed by continual exposure to the animal.

Brucella canis infections among dogs in the UK has been on the rise.

There were just 9 cases in 2020, but this rose to 36 the following year and increased to 55 in 2022.

As of July this year 91 cases have been identified in the UK, according to HAIRS.

Clinical information was available for 22 of the cases, with 19 dogs having no symptoms, one having inflammation of the spine and other two having back pain.

All but one of these dogs had been imported into the UK, with most coming from Romania (14). 

The remaining case came from a puppy at an unlicensed breeding premises in Wales, where 21 dogs were also subsequently found to have the infection. 

All other cases found so far this year were in imported dogs. 

HAIRS said a rise in awareness of the disease among British vets, and therefore testing for it, is likely behind the increase in cases. 

Tests have also increased with 5,773 carried out between January and July this year, compared to just 1,332 in 2018. 

Romania is one of the biggest sources of imported dogs into the UK, with over 70,000 animals imported to Britain in 2020 and 2021.

Only 10,000 animals were imported from last year Romania due to concerns of rise in diseases resulting from the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine. 

Signs of Brucella canis in dogs include infertility, swollen testes in male dogs, lethargy, premature aging and lameness from back pain.

However, some dogs may show no obvious signs of infection.

In people, Brucella canis generally produces mild and general flu-like symptoms that can make it difficult to diagnose.

The disease can also strike years after initial infection and may occasionally come back recurrently over several years.

There have also been reports of dangerous complications resulting from a Brucella canis infection in people.

These include serious infections of the heart, bone, brain tissue and blood. However, no fatal case of Brucella canis in people has been recorded. 

Transmission of the disease between people is theoretically possible through routes like blood transfusion but there are no known cases of this occurring in medical literature. 

Dr Middlemiss told MailOnline that: ‘We continue to work closely with our colleagues at UKHSA, dog welfare groups and vets to minimise the risks posed and recommend prospective owners make sure any dog imported from regions where Brucella canis is present is tested before arrival.’

Wendi Shepherd, head of emerging Infections and zoonoses at UKHSA, added: ‘We have seen a small number of cases of Brucella canis in people in the UK this year.

‘However, the risk to the general public in the UK is very low and the risk to people who have had close contact with an infected dog is low. 

‘From the small number of cases of the infection that have been reported in humans worldwide, the infection is usually mild, but people who have weakened immune systems, are pregnant, or are young children may be more likely to experience more serious infection.’

More than 70 British holidaymakers say they were struck down with a parasitic infection from a four-star hotel – and were so ill they vomited blood.

All of the affected tourists stayed in the Hotel Aqua Mirage in Marrakech, Morocco over the summer and autumn of 2022.

Guests reported pool toilet cubicles were covered in diarrhoea and vomit after many were diagnosed with E.coli, salmonella and cryptosporidium. 

Among those affected was Chelsea Hagan, 29, and her daughter Darcey, 6, from Anglesey, North Wales.

Chelsea began vomiting blood and was taken to hospital where she was diagnosed with cryptosporidium, a parasitic infection commonly transmitted to humans through contaminated water.

A year on, Chelsea, a trainee painter and decorator, continues to suffer from diarrhoea and mild gastritis, which is where the stomach becomes inflamed.

Sarita Sharma, the specialist international serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the group, including Chelsea and Darcey, said: ‘The first-hand account we’ve heard from Chelsea about her illness and the similar symptoms suffered by Darcey as well as others are deeply concerning.

‘Chelsea was diagnosed with cryptosporidium following hospital tests, and what’s particularly worrying is that she continues to be affected by her illness a year on.

‘Chelsea and Darcey are just two of among more than 70 people who stayed at this hotel over the summer and autumn of 2022 only to be struck down with gastric illness.

‘Others we represent suffered illnesses including cryptosporidium, e.coli, campylobacter and salmonella, all of which can have long-term impacts on health.

‘Understandably our clients continue to have question and concerns about what happened to them.

‘We’re now investigating those concerns to provide them with the answers they deserve.

‘If during the course of our investigations, any issues are identified, it’s vital lessons are learned, and other travellers are spared the suffering and distress that holiday illness and its impact can cause.

‘As part of our ongoing investigations, we are still keen to hear from anyone who stayed at the Hotel Aqua Mirage last year and suffered similar symptoms.’

Chelsea and Darcey’s holiday, booked through TUI UK Ltd, took place between 9 and 16 September, 2022.

On the day they returned to the UK, Darcey fell ill with gastric symptoms including diarrhoea and vomiting.

Chelsea took her to the GP on two occasions. During the second appointment she was referred to hospital. 

Chelsea’s illness began around 24 September. She suffered diarrhoea, headaches, fatigue and stomach pain.

When she also began vomiting blood, Chelsea called NHS 111 and was advised to attend A&E.

Darcey’s symptoms eased around 7 October, however Chelsea has ongoing health issues.

Chelsea said: ‘When Darcey started being sick, I thought maybe it was from the heat on holiday, but after a few days I ended up taking her to the hospital as she wasn’t getting any better. It was awful seeing my little girl so unwell.

‘Then I fell ill, and I couldn’t believe how bad I got. I’ve never felt stomach pain like it. I spent almost a day in hospital vomiting. It was horrendous.

‘To find out I had a gastric infection was a huge shock and not something you expect just after returning from holiday.

‘However, when I think back I can recall that the hygiene standards at the resort weren’t what I’d class as great.

‘I remember raw meat was put next to cooked meat and people would pick at the food with their hands.

‘At one stage, one of the toilet cubicles by the pool was covered in diarrhoea and vomit; it was disgusting.

‘Almost a year on, I’m still not 100 per cent. While I know there’s nothing I can do to change what we’ve been through, I want some answers. I feel it’s the least we deserve.’

By Australian Associated Press

Updated: 06:02 EDT, 23 August 2023

A Texas mother-of-three has passed away after traveling to Mexico to undergo a boob job and contracting meningitis — making her the ninth American victim in the outbreak of the fungal infection.

Crystal Villegas, 31, spent the last four months fighting for her life in a Texas hospital after contracting fungal meningitis, a rare infection that causes swelling around the brain and spinal cord.

She traveled to Riverside Clinic in Matamoros, Tamaulipas State, Mexico, located on the border with Texas, US, reportedly to save money on the op.

The outbreak, linked to two Mexican clinics, is feared to have infected hundreds and has already killed nine American women, mostly young mothers, highlighting the dangers of so-called ‘medical tourism.’

Ms Villegas lived in Brownsville in the state, just on the other side of the border. 

She was receiving treatment at the Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen following her boob job, and passed away at around 6:30pm on 30 July.

Her husband Juan Tapia, a super featherweight boxer who fights under the name Johnny Blaze, said: ‘It was a hard four months, she fought hard and never gave up.’

According to Mr Tapia, his wife regretted having the breast implant surgery and desperately wanted to see her three young children grow up and become adults.

He added: ‘Those few months have been very difficult, very hard for me, but I am at peace that she is now resting.’

In the days following the operation in Mexico, Ms Villegas began to complain of a severe headache and her condition worsened with a high fever.

After going to the emergency room, tests revealed she had meningitis.

Mr Tapia also claimed that two of Ms Villegas’ friends had also died after undergoing a cosmetic operation, including a close friend in March.

Ms Villegas is one of nine Americans who have died from the fungal infection, including mom-of-two Jody Adkins, mom-of-four Lauren Robinson, who received a boob job, liposuction and Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and mom-of-one Shyanne Medrano, who underwent liposuction and a BBL. A further death of a Mexican patient also occurred, according to local news media.

Before she passed away, Mr Tapia said his wife was ‘learning how to walk again, learning how to use the restroom again, how to talk again.’

He added: ‘Please, please be aware of the risks of cosmetic surgeries. Our hope is to spread awareness so that people can actually do the research.

‘It changes everything. Everything. It’s not worth it.

‘I wish this was all just a bad dream that we could wake up from and go back to the day before the surgery and somehow, someway, convince her not to go.’

Every year, over one million US citizens travel to Mexico for cheap cosmetic procedures at private clinics where safety protocols are often deficient compared to US standards.

Earlier in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised US residents not to undergo procedures in Mexico that involve epidural medication due to an ‘outbreak of fungal meningitis.’

The fungus isolated in the two clinics appears to be Fusarium solani, which was linked to a previous meningitis outbreak in Durango, Mexico, late last year.

According to the CDC, that outbreak, which was also linked to epidural anesthetic procedures, had an almost 50 percent mortality rate with those infections — with 39 deaths among 80 cases.

The new outbreak is thought to be due to contaminated epidural equipment, used in procedures such as a BBL, or dodgy morphine.

The victims of the latest outbreak have paid up to $5,000 for their surgeries, a fraction of the price they would pay in the US.

Health officials told DailyMail.com in June that they had been able to reach roughly half of the 230 people who received surgery at either clinic since the start of the year. The outbreak was first reported in May 2023.

Both clinics were closed in May. But if other confirmed cases are found at other facilities, the number at risk could be much higher.

The CDC is urging everyone who received surgery with an epidural (injection into the spine to numb part of the body) at either clinic this year to go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible to be evaluated, even if they do not have symptoms.

The epidural is used in procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian butt lifts, which can be more than $16,000 cheaper than in the US.

If a woman got these surgeries done in the US, it could set them back up to $20,000.

Chris Van Deusen from Texas Department of Health told DailyMail.com that while most of the cases have been women, some have also been men.

He said: ‘If anybody knows of somebody who may have gone to Matamoros to get surgery, let them know that they could be affected by this and to know what to look out for and they can certainly contact either us at the state or their local health department in their area to get more information.’

In its latest update, the CDC said it is investigating 151 people who may have the infection.

There have been nine deaths. Eight of these are confirmed cases, and one is a probable case. There is now a total of ten confirmed cases.

The patients being overseen by the CDC reported symptoms including headaches, fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sensitivity to light.

Dr Tom Chiller, head of the fungal diseases branch at the CDC, told DailyMail.com: ‘It’s so critical to get people in as early as possible and it’s not really too late. 

‘I think so far, the longest period from the time of procedure to symptoms has been up to 50 days.

‘Fungi just have these long indolent periods sometimes and we’re not sure why and so it’s really not too late, we want people to get in and be evaluated.’

Dr Chiller added that the agency does not know the exact source of the fungal meningitis yet, and ‘we may never know it, unfortunately.’

He said the CDC is open to the fact that the infection could have occurred in other clinics. Currently, the source of the infection is thought to be the morphine provided to patients by anesthesiologists.

The best friend of a Texas woman who died from a fungal brain infection after getting cut-price plastic surgery in Mexico has spoken out about the ‘heartbreaking loss.’

Mother-of-one Shyanne Medrano, 31, of Houston, died from fungal meningitis at a hospital on May 16, 2023 and is one of four Texas women who have died from the infection after they went under the knife in the northern border city of Matamoros.

Her best friend since the seventh grade, Laura Garza, told DailyMail.com that Ms Medrano was complaining about headaches in March after the operation and then died two months later following ‘close to five or six strokes.’

‘It’s heartbreaking, especially when they’re wives, mothers, daughters – they’re somebody,’ Ms Garza said. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes around 230 Americans who traveled to clinics in Matamoros this year could be at risk.

And the agency is now urging people to go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible to be evaluated, even if they do not have symptoms.

Ms Medrano traveled to Matamoros to undergo a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) and liposuction at Clinica-K3.

Dr Luis Manuel Rivera De Anda, listed as a gynecologist online, performed her operation.

His Instagram shows a plethora of before and after surgery photos for liposuction, BBLs, and breasts and promotes an offer of full liposuction, a BBL and breast augmentation for 5,000 USD.

It is unknown whether Ms Medrano’s infection had anything to do with Dr Rivera De Anda’s actions.

Dr Rivera De Anda did not respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.

‘Her results were good. She was happy with how she looked and was feeling ok when she went home,’ said Ms Garza.

‘She was just complaining of some headaches, but she’s always had some, so she didn’t think too much of it.

‘Around Easter, she started feeling a little more pressure [on her head] and her eyes were hurting. She started having that pain in her head.’

A Facebook post by Ms Medrano from April 15 reads: ‘I’m in great pain from my head… today I woke up with an excruciating pain in the back of my head, and it’s really keeping me from functioning normally today.’ 

Ms Medrano then began slurring her words, and doctors later discovered she had had a stroke.

A few weeks after the operation, Ms Medrano was taken to the hospital with nausea, vomiting and fever — all symptoms of fungal meningitis. 

She had ‘close to five or six strokes’, Ms Garza said, as well as blood clots in her head.

Ms Medrano died on May 16, almost two months after her BBL.

Hidalgo County Health Authority Dr Ivan Melendez said around nine patients are in hospitals in Cameron and Hidalgo counties.

He said: ‘The numbers, even in our community, are worrisome.’

He added that those infected might not even realize it: ‘It can be very insidious with its symptoms of headache nausea, vomiting and fever. 

‘It can take a while, that’s why we’re so concerned there could be people with this infection and still not aware of it.’

Ms Medrano leaves behind an eight-year-old daughter.

As of June 14, the CDC reports six confirmed cases of fungal meningitis detected from samples.

There have been four deaths — two of which are confirmed cases and two which are probable.

The CDC has warned that anyone given epidural anesthesia (injection into the spine to numb part of the body) during surgery is at risk and should go to the nearest emergency room to be tested, even if they do not have symptoms.

The epidural is used in procedures such as liposuction, breast augmentation and Brazilian butt lifts, which can be more than $16,000 cheaper than in the US.

The CDC is investigating 172 people who may have the infection.

The clinics under scrutiny are River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3 in Matamoros, Mexico, both of which have now been closed.

The patients being overseen by the CDC reported symptoms including headaches, fever, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, confusion, and sensitivity to light.

The infection causes swelling of the protective lining around the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said: ‘Fungal meningitis can be life-threatening, and finding infections early is essential for treatment. 

‘Public health workers are directly contacting people in Texas who got surgery at two clinics in Matamoros to inform them of the situation and what steps they should take.’

The fungus isolated in the two clinics appears to be Fusarium solani, which was linked to a previous meningitis outbreak in Durango, Mexico, late last year.

According to the CDC, that outbreak, which was also linked to epidural anesthetic procedures, had an almost 50 percent mortality rate with those infections — with 39 deaths among 80 cases.

The exact cause of the fungal outbreak remains unknown.

Health officials believe fungal meningitis can be contracted if medical devices such as the needle used during an epidural or medications such as morphine are contaminated with fungi or if proper infection prevention control practices are not taken. 

The clinics may have reused medication vials or used alternative medication to morphine due to shortages, both of which can increase the risk of fungal contamination.

Dr Tom Chiller, head of the branch of the fungal disease at the CDC, told NBC News: ‘There could be some bad actors in that space that are essentially operating sort of a black-market type of morphine business.’

CDC officials are looking into how exactly patients were exposed to the infectious fungus during the surgeries and if any other clinics were involved.

US health bosses have called for the deadly fungal outbreak to be declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization.