Brucellar spondylodiscitis affecting non-contiguous spine levels.
Brucellosis is a zoonosis that affects several organs. The spine is the most common site of musculoskeletal involvement. However, multiple-level spinal involvement is rare in brucella spondylodiscitis. The authors report a case of a 56-year-old male shepherd who had developed a spondylodiscitis affecting simultaneously the cervical, thoracic and lumbar regions. The diagnosis was established by using MRI after the brucella-agglutination test was found to be positive. A high degree of suspicion in the diagnosis of brucellar spondylodiscitis is essential to reduce the delay for the treatment. Thus, it should be essentially included in the differential diagnosis of longstanding cervical, thoracic or back pain, particularly in regions where brucellosis is endemic. Screening serological tests for brucella should be used more widely in cases with low index of suspicion, especially in endemic areas.
Department of Rheumatology, La Rabta Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia. mrabetdalila@yahoo.fr
D
D
Mrabet
H
H
Mizouni
H
H
Khiari
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S
Rekik
E
E
Chéour
N
N
Meddeb
E
E
Mnif
A Bahri
AB
Mrabet
H Sahli
HS
Srairi
S
S
Sellami
D002006:Brucellosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D015299:Discitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae