Brucellosis infection of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare but severe complication [2, 3] and the varied clinical manifestations, including confusion, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, peripheral or cranial neuropathies, and psychiatric manifestations, make the diagnosis challenging.
Brucellosis may be considered as a cause of clinical or subclinical peripheral neuropathy and should be evaluated especially in endemic areas.
People with brucellosis may develop fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical weakness. In severe cases, the central nervous system and the lining of the heart may be affected. One form of the illness may also cause long-lasting symptoms, including recurrent fevers, joint pain, and fatigue.
Headaches, impaired consciousness, and seizures were also reported in some cases. Sensory deficit was seen in 60% of the cases.
Brucellosis can also cause long-lasting or chronic symptoms such as recurrent fevers, joint pain, testicular swelling, heart infections, nervous system impairment, depression, and fatigue. Death from brucellosis is rare.
Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers (endocarditis). This is one of the most serious complications of brucellosis. Untreated endocarditis can damage or destroy the heart valves and is the leading cause of brucellosis-related deaths.
Treatment should last for at least 6 weeks. Standardized, sufficient, and combined medication is recommended for better efficacy and prognosis. (2) Age and duration of disease are risk factors for neurobrucellosis, whereas sex, nationality, and regional distribution are not.
Brucellosis is a multisystem disease with various clinical symptoms. Neurobrucellosis is a rare but serious manifestation of brucellosis. A 60-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of brucellar spondylitis presented with sudden onset of aphasia and numbness of the right upper extremity.
Fever is the most common symptom and sign of brucellosis, occurring in 80-100% of cases.
Chronic brucellosis is treated with triple-antibiotic therapy. The combination of rifampin, doxycycline, and streptomycin often is used.
Knee, hip and ankle joints are among the most common peripheral regions affected by brucellosis and these patients present with arthritis[15,70]. Shoulders, wrists, elbows, interphalangeal and sternoclavicular joints may also be involved[28,69,71].
Localized brucellosis causes inflammation of affected organs including the bones, skin, liver, genitourinary and gastrointestinal tracts, central nervous system and heart.
Neurobrucellosis occurs in 5%–10% of patients with brucellosis (4). The most frequent clinical manifestation is meningoencephalitis (5). Mass lesions in the brain are uncommon (4).
We report here an unusual complication of brucellosis in a microbiology technologist. A 41-year-old male presented with an 8-day history of right ankle pain which, over a 3-day period, extended up to his calf where swelling and tightness developed.
Animals that are most commonly infected include sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, and dogs, among others. Brucellosis in the U.S.
Neurobrucellosis, peritonitis, pericarditis, pancytopenia and hepatitis are unusual manifestations of brucellosis.
Brucellosis is caused by Brucella species, which are gram-negative bacteria. Symptoms begin as an acute febrile illness with few or no localized signs and may progress to a chronic stage with relapses of fever, weakness, sweats, and vague aches and pains. Diagnosis is by culture, usually from the blood.
Generally, the antibiotics doxycycline and rifampin are recommended in combination for a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
It is a disease of world distribution that mainly affects developing countries and is caused by different species of Brucella. In its manifestations osteoarticular mainly affects the sacro iliac joint; however, it can involve the spine, hip and knee.
The majority of the patients had a positive titre of Brucella melitensis and abortus. In 42% of the patients radiographs of the thoraco-lumbar spine showed bony changes. This study stresses the importance of brucellosis as a cause of backache.
Brucellosis initially causes a flu-like illness with fever, chills, headache, fatigue, and pain in the muscles, joints, or back. The fever might go up and down over a 24-hour period (another name for brucellosis is 'undulant fever'). Other symptoms can include loss of appetite and weight loss.
After ingestion by phagocytes, about 15-30% of brucellae survive.
Interestingly, in patients infected by brucellosis, anxiety and depression may be manifested in the absence of demonstrable brain infection, a fact that indicates that neuropsychological symptoms may arise as a consequence of the peripheral inflammatory response mounted against it [10].
Neurobrucellosis refers to central nervous system involvement by brucellosis and occurs secondary to ingestion or contact with gram-negative, facultative intracellular coccobacilli of the Brucella species. Up to 10% of infections are complicated by neurological involvement 1.