Acute brucella sacroiliitis: clinical features

Osteoarticular manifestations of human brucellosis: A review

Brucellosis is a common global zoonotic disease, which is responsible for a range of clinical manifestations. Fever, sweating and musculoskeletal pains are observed in most patients. The most frequent complication of brucellosis is osteoarticular involvement, with 10% to 85% of patients affected. The sacroiliac (up to 80%) and spinal joints (up to 54%) are the most common affected sites. Spondylitis and spondylodiscitis are the most frequent complications of brucellar spinal involvement. Peripheral arthritis, osteomyelitis, discitis, bursitis and tenosynovitis are other osteoarticular manifestations, but with a lower prevalence. Spinal brucellosis has two forms: focal and diffuse. Epidural abscess is a rare complication of spinal brucellosis but can lead to permanent neurological deficits or even death if not treated promptly. Spondylodiscitis is the most severe form of osteoarticular involvement by brucellosis, and can have single- or multi-focal involvement. Early and appropriate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is important in order to have a successful management of the patients with osteoarticular brucellosis. Brucellosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for sciatic and back pain, especially in endemic regions. Patients with septic arthritis living in endemic areas also need to be evaluated in terms of brucellosis. Physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging techniques are needed to diagnose the disease. Radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bone scintigraphy are imaging techniques for the diagnosis of osteoarticular brucellosis. MRI is helpful to differentiate between pyogenic spondylitis and brucellar spondylitis. Drug medications (antibiotics) and surgery are the only two options for the treatment and cure of osteoarticular brucellosis.

A rare combination of rare conditions: Salmonella septic sacroiliitis and hepatitis

We report an unusual presentation of sacroiliitis and hepatitis secondary to Salmonella systemic infection. A high index of suspicion, early blood cultures, prompt investigations and treatment with parenteral antibiotics can result in complete resolution of symptoms and prevent long-term sequelae of either condition.

Clinical presentations of chlamydial and non-chlamydial reactive arthritis

The aim of this study was to investigate the triggering micro-organisms and the clinical as well as laboratory differences between Chlamydial and non-chlamydial reactive arthritis (ReA) in a prospective study on 98 patients with acute/subacute arthritis. An inciting organism was found in 42 patients. Eighteen of these were chlamydial. Fifty-seven percent of all ReA patients were carriers for HLA-B27, which increased to 67% in the chlamydial group. Chlamydial ReA patients had more urethritis (P<0.05) with a longer period between arthritis and inciting infection, significantly lower CRP levels, and involved joint counts (P<0.05). Additionally, sacroiliitis was more frequent besides extra-articular manifestations in chlamydial ReA group. This study shows that chlamydial ReA differs in some points from non-chlamydial ReA, which in turn may affect the evaluation of an arthritic patient. ReA due to chlamydia more frequently encompasses a monoarticular or oligoarticular clinical picture with predominant distal extremity involvement. Non-chlamydial ReA presents higher joint counts and may involve upper extremity joints.

[Brucellosis--diagnostic dilemmas--case report]

The authors present a case of a 20-year old student from Belgrade, who was admitted to the Institute of Infectious Diseases with fever, muscle and spine pains, strong headache and malice. During the clinical examination bilateral sacroileitis was found. Serological analyses confirmed brucellosis. Epidemiological data showed that she lived in Kosovo and Metohia in 1997, where she consumed diary products from domestic animals; this might be the reason of the acquired infection. With appropriate antibiotic therapy (aminoglycoside, doxicyclin, rifampicin), symptomatic therapy and rehabilitation the disease had favourable outcome; there was no recidive. The authors point out the importance of specific microbiological examinations of patients with fever of unknown origin, especially if the patient has the symptoms that are compatible with brucellosis. In our case it was sacroileitis, as a characteristic complication. As brucellosis is endemic in some parts of our country, there is always a possibility of brucellosis in general medical practice.