[Osteoarticular brucellosis and signs of autoimmunity]

We report two cases of osteoarticular brucellosis in childhood, which illustrate the diagnostic difficulties in non-endemic areas.

A 12-year-old boy was admitted for a unilateral sacroiliitis for which the brucellosis origin was established by serological and blood cultures (without fever). Autoimmunity was detected and disappeared following the treatment of the affection. A six-year-old girl was admitted for a monoarthritis of the left ankle (with fever) for which the brucellosis origin was also established by serology and blood cultures.

The above cases underline the importance of knowing the atypical varieties of brucellosis. The brucellosis serologies need to take part in the etiological workup of an infectious osteoarthritis when a classic infectious cause cannot be proved. Blood cultures on a specific medium are essential to carry out, even in the case of apyrexia. Finally, the possibility of autoimmunity signs for the brucellosis has to be known to avoid orientating the diagnosis towards an autoimmune systemic disease.