Brucella suis as a cause of late prosthetic joint infection: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Human brucellosis has been described as an extremely rare cause of prosthetic joint infection. This case report describes a case of a late prosthetic joint infection caused by Brucella suis and reviews other published cases of Brucella prosthetic joint infection. This is the first reported case of B. suis causing prosthetic joint infection. The patient was treated successfully with a 2-stage surgical approach combined with 2 weeks of IV aminoglycoside and 12 weeks of oral doxycycline and rifampin. This case illustrates the importance of considering Brucella species as an infrequent cause of prosthetic joint infection in areas of disease endemicity. In particular, Brucella should be considered when a history of animal exposure or consumption of raw meat or unpasteurized dairy products is elicited.