title: Brucellosis in man--II. Isolation of the causative organisms with special reference to blood picture and urine constituents.
abstract: Blood and urine samples were collected from 50 patients with febrile splenomegaly suspected to be Malta fever in Sharkia fever hospitals, Egypt. Blood samples were subjected to isolation of Brucellae; blood counts and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Urine analysis. Four strains of brucella were isolated. Two of these isolated first from the 50 patients and typed as Br. melitensis Biotype I and the others were recovered secondly and thirdly from serologically positive patients and typed as Br. abortus Biotype I. All the strains from positive serology, titre ranging from 1/160-1/640. Br. melitensis is more readily isolated from the blood than Br. abortus. Blood picture of serologically positive Malta fever showed three patients with mild leukopenia; two with relative lymphocytosis; two with secondary anaemia and three with accelerated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Urine analysis revealed five patients with albuminuria.
mesh_terms: D002002:Brucella / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000382:microbiology