Spinal brucellosis in South of Tunisia: review of 32 cases

Brucellosis remains an important economic and public health problem in some parts of the world. The spine is the most common site of musculoskeletal involvement of brucellosis.

Assess the clinical, laboratory, radiological findings, and outcomes of vertebral involvement in brucellosis.

A retrospective study.

Thirty-two patients with spinal brucellosis during a period of 21 years (1990-2010) were included.

Clinical and radiological improvement.

Diagnosis made on clinical presentation, laboratory findings, radiographic evidence, and the Brucellar etiology was considered when seroagglutination tests were positive at a titer of 1/160 or higher, and/or Brucella spp were isolated in the blood or sample cultures.

The mean age of patients was 51±15.85 years (23 males, 9 females; age range, 19-74 years). The median diagnostic delay was 3 months. Back or neck pain (100% of patients), fever (78%), and sweats (68.6%) were the most common symptoms. Cultures of blood specimens from five patients (15.6%) were positive for Brucella melitensis. Four patients (12.5%) had motor weakness or paralysis. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 24 (75%) cases. Paravertebral masses, epidural masses, and psoas abscesses were detected in 65.6%, 59.4%, and 28.1% of patients, respectively. The lumbar vertebra was the most frequently involved region with the rate of 68.7%, followed by thoracal (18.7%), cervical (6.3%), lumbosacral (6.3%), and thoracolumbar (3.1%) segments. The duration of antimicrobial therapy of brucellosis (median, 6 months; range, 3-13 months) varied according to clinical response and the presence of epidural and paravertebral masses. There were no deaths or severe sequelae in this study.

Brucellar spondylitis should be considered in patients with back pain and fever in endemic areas. A high index of suspicion and clinical, laboratory, and radiological examinations help to confirm the diagnosis of vertebral involvement.