Brucellosis in a Sickle Cell Patient with Hyposplenia

Sickle cell disease patients are prone to infection and overwhelming sepsis because an immunedeficient state arises from asplenia (autosplenectomy/surgical splenectomy) and functional hyposplenism. The common pathogen encountered in sepsis with asplenic/hyposplenism patients is encapsulated organism, gram-negative bacilli, but in developing countries like India, there are many possibilities of infection by an uncommon organism that make it difficult to diagnose. Here, we have described a case of sickle cell disease presented with persistent fever and later, found to have an atrophic spleen with involvement of respiratory system and osteoarticular system. After extensive workup, he was diagnosed to be brucellosis. So, unusual infectious causes be kept as a differential diagnosis in a susceptible host while dealing with persistent symptoms. Uncommon infections like Brucella need to be studied in hyposplenism patients as data are lacking.