Brucella: a cause of peripheral neuropathy

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Neuroscience

Background:

• Brucellosis is a prevalent infectious disease in Mediterranean regions.
• Peripheral nerve involvement in brucellosis patients requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate peripheral nerve involvement in patients diagnosed with brucellosis.
• To identify clinical and subclinical neuropathy in brucellosis.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four brucellosis patients underwent neurological examinations, nerve conduction studies (NCS), and needle electromyography (EMG).
• A control group of 20 healthy subjects was included for comparison.
• Patients were categorized based on peripheral nervous system (PNS) examination findings.

Main Results:

• Twelve patients exhibited axonal sensorimotor neuropathy, with nerve conduction studies normalizing after treatment.
• Twenty-two patients had normal EMG and clinical exams but showed decreased motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities and prolonged F-wave latencies compared to controls.
• Subclinical electrophysiological abnormalities were detected in brucellosis patients.

Conclusions:

• Brucellosis can lead to both clinical and subclinical peripheral neuropathies.
• Peripheral neuropathy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with brucellosis, particularly in endemic areas.
• Nerve conduction studies and EMG are valuable tools for detecting subclinical nerve involvement.