Clinical and laboratory features of brucellosis in two university hospitals in Southeast Turkey.
This prospective study was carried out in two university hospitals between January 2000 and December 2002. The diagnosis of brucellosis was made with compatible clinical findings, positive Brucella agglutination > or =1/160 titres, and/or the isolation of Brucella species. The patients were followed up without intervention. One hundred and thirty-eight patients with active brucellosis were evaluated. Of the participants, 79 (57.2%) cases were acute, 23 (16.7%) sub-acute and 36 (26.1%) chronic. Brucella melitensis was isolated in the specimens of 24 (26.9%) out of 89 patients. The most frequent symptoms were fever (78.3%), arthralgia (77.5%) and sweating (72.5%). The most common physical findings were fever (40.6%), splenomegaly (36.2%), and hepatomegaly (26.8%). The osteoarticular involvement was found in 64 patients (46.4%). Ten (7.5%) patients had orchiepididymitis. Meningitis, pulmonary involvement, endocarditis, and hepatitis were found in five (3.6%), three (2.1%), two (1.5%) and one (0.7%) patient, respectively. Relative lymphomonocytosis was found in 80 cases (58.8%), anaemia in 46 (33.3%) and leucopoenia in 30 cases (21.7%). Clinical relapse was observed in 14 patients (10.1%).
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University Hospital, Kahramanmaras, Turkey. kokoglu@ksu.edu.tr
Omer Faruk
OF
Kokoglu
Salih
S
Hosoglu
Mehmet Faruk
MF
Geyik
Celal
C
Ayaz
Serife
S
Akalin
Mehmet Akif
MA
Buyukbese
Ali
A
Cetinkaya
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002002:Brucella / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents