Neurobrucellosis: Clinical and laboratory findings in 22 patients

Rasoolinejad , M

Volume 57, Issue 4 (9 1999) Tehran Univ Med J 1999, 57(4): 87-92 | Back to browse issues page

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Rasoolinejad M. Neurobrucellosis: Clinical and laboratory findings in 22 patients. Tehran Univ Med J 1999; 57 (4) :87-92
URL: http://tumj.tums.ac.ir/article-1-1448-en.html

Neurobrucellosis: Clinical and laboratory findings in 22 patients

M Rasoolinejad ^*

Abstract: (8860 Views)

Brucellosis is a multisystem disease with diverse clinical presentations and involvement of the nervous system is considered to 5 to be 10% in adult patients and 1% in children. The presentations of neurobrucellosis includes meningoencephalitis, subarachnoid haemorrhage, myelitis, radiculoneuritis, intracerebral and epidural abscess, psychosis and vascular syndrome. Twenty-two patients with neurobrucellosis are described. Ten patients had meningoencephalitis, seven patients had meningitis, three patients had polyradiculopathy and one patient presented with spinal epidural abscess and one patient had brain abscess. Results of an agglutination test for Brucella in serum were positive for all patients (>1:160) eight of 15 patients had positive agglutination test in CSF. Five patients had positive blood cultures, 3 patients had positive bone marrow cultures and 2 of 15 patients had positive CSF cultures. All of cultures were Brucella Mellitensis. Antimicrobial treatment included concurrent administration of Doxycycline, Rifampin and Trimethoprim-Sulfametoxazole. Four patients received Dexamethason concurrently. In conclusion, nervous system involvement is a serious manifestation of brucellosis. As brucellosis is an endemic disease in Iran we suggest that brucellosis be investigated with neurological symptoms and signs.

Keywords: Meningioencephalitis, Brucella mellitensis

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