Brucella endocarditis causing acute renal failure

Medical versus medical and surgical treatment for brucella endocarditis

This review was undertaken to determine the role of surgery in the treatment of brucella endocarditis. All English and French articles reporting brucella endocarditis (1966 to 2011) in PubMed, Google, and Scopus were reviewed. In all, 308 cases were identified, and linear and logistic regression was performed. Surgery improved outcomes by decreasing mortality from 32.7% in the medical treatment only group to 6.7% in the combined surgical and medical treatment group (p<0.001). This association was still significant while controlling for other contributing factors. In the absence of a controlled trial, we recommend the utmost vigilance and consideration of surgical management in treating such patients.

Brucellosis mimicking vasculitis in a patient with renal failure and peripheral neuropathy

Very few reports of brucellosis with overt renal failure exist in the literature. The authors report interstitial nephritis and distal sensory-motor polyneuropathy as the presenting features of brucellosis. It is postulated that immunologic hypersensitivity reactions may play a role in the pathogenesis of brucellosis. A brief review on this topic is presented.

Dissecting aneurysm of the thoracic aorta in a patient with nephrotic syndrome and brucellosis

We report the case of a 61-year-old man with nephrotic syndrome due to glomerulonephritis and chronic brucellosis complicated by dissecting aortic aneurysm. The patient worked as a veterinarian and was diagnosed for chronic but non-active brucellosis with positive serum test for Brucella melitensis in the past. Administration of cyclosporine in combination with low dose prednisone resulted at least in proteinuria reduction and partial remission for 3 years. Dissecting aortic aneurysm was treated by insertion of a stent-graft, that resulted in canalization of blood flow and retraction of aneurysm wall later in the course in our patient.

Brucella glomerulonephritis: review of the literature and report on the first patient with brucellosis and mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis

Although mild proteinuria is commonly observed during the course of brucellosis, biopsy-proven glomerulonephritis (GN) is quite rare. We present the first case of mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis (MCGN) associated with brucellosis and summarize all cases of Brucella GN published to date. Our patient, who had a congenital bicuspid aortic valve, also had heart failure, fever, urinary abnormalities and proteinuria. Renal biopsy revealed MCGN. Although the clinical features raised the possibility of GN associated with endocarditis, transesophageal echocardiography did not show any vegetations.

Brucellosis with nephrotic syndrome, nephritis and IgA nephropathy

A patient with systemic brucellosis due to Brucella melitensis had severe renal involvement. Clinical features included hypertension, macroscopic haematuria, massive proteinuria of 10 g per 24 hours and azotaemia. Following treatment with antibiotics, the azotaemia resolved and proteinuria decreased to less than 0.5 g per 24 hours, but microscopic haematuria and hypertension persisted. Renal biopsy during recovery revealed IgA nephropathy with minimal mesangial changes, suggesting a causal relation between brucellosis and IgA nephropathy with a reversible nephrotic syndrome.