Spinal brucellosis

Abstract

Twenty-one patients with spinal brucellosis were reviewed. The disease is difficult to diagnose, and is often confused with spinal tuberculosis. Our study showed that it was best diagnosed by serology 2nd bacterial culture; radiography and scanning were less helpful in the early stages. After only six weeks' antibiotic treatment, there was a 55% clinical and serological reactivation rate: better results were achieved after at least three months of treatment. The adequacy of treatment was best monitored with repeated agglutination titres, and the duration of freatment proved to be more important than the antibiotic agent itself. Surgical intervention was reserved for biopsy, severe neurological impairment, or for spinal stabilisation. Brucellosis remains a serious infectious disease and an important cause of morbidity in both animals and man.

Paravertebral abscess formation and knee arthritis due to Brucellosis in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis

“…3,6,7 Spondylitis is one of the most frequently a ected sites in adults, accounting for between 20% to 60% of osteoarticular complications, the lumbar segment being the most commonly a ected level, varying in frequency from 44% to 76% according to di erent studies. 6,8 ± 10 Although brucella spondylitis is considered a mild form of infectious spondylitis in some reports, 11,12 in others, and in our case report, it caused highly destructive lesions.…”

“…5 ± 7 The best results have been obtained with doxycycline and streptomycin treatment so far. 3 Lifeso et al 6 suggested that the duration of therapy was more important than the antibiotic agent itself. Surgical drainage is usually recommended along with prolonged antibiotic treatment.…”

“…Surgical drainage is usually recommended along with prolonged antibiotic treatment. 3,6 Conclusion Brucellosis may cause severe joint and vertebra destruction in RA patients whose joints are a ected with rheumatoid process and prone to infections. Steroids and NSAIDs have the potential to mask disease manifestations.…”

Brucellar spondylitis: a rare cause of spinal cord compression

“…While arthritis, bursitis, tenosynovitis, and sacroiliitis are more frequently observed in younger patients, the frequency of spondylodiscitis increases with aging, and its diagnosis may be difficult. [1][2][3][4] In this paper, we report a patient first misdiagnosed in another clinic as having a tumor or tuberculosis. The patient presented with paraplegia due to a compression fracture and a paravertebral soft tissue mass in the thoracic spine, which was later found out in our clinic to be due to brucellar spondylitis.…”

Management of spinal brucellosis and outcome of rehabilitation

“…3 The earliest features are mild osteoporosis and epiphysitis localised in the anterio-superior angle, followed by narrowing of the joint space and involvement of the contiguous vertebral. 4,5 As the interosseous infection progresses with increasing vertebral body destruction, a delineating rim of sclerosis develops with subsequent anterior and lateral osteophytosis. 4 Posterior elements of the spine are rarely involved.…”