Respiratory Symptoms as Prominent Manifestation of Brucellosis: A Case Series

摘要

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection primarily affecting the reticuoendothelial system: spleen, liver and bone marrow. Despite the fact that multisystem infection in brucellosis is usually reported, pulmonary involvement is considered to be very rare. We report four cases (three male and one female, farm workers) of pulmonary brucellosis who presented with signs and symptoms of lower respiratory infection. All of them underwent thorough clinical examination and laboratory tests before the diagnosis of pulmonary brucellosis was confirmed. All patients were hospitalized for at least eight days and given appropriate antibiotic therapy. Follow up after 12-24 months showed no lasting effects from the infection and laboratory tests were found within the normal limits.