Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges of Childhood Brucellosis in a Nonendemic Country

Abstract

We sought [corrected] to define the current epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and course of childhood brucellosis in the United States. A retrospective chart review was performed of 20 patients who received a diagnosis of brucellosis over a period of 13 years at a large, tertiary care children's hospital in Dallas, Texas. Diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, clinical presentations, and outcomes were recorded. Ninety-five percent of the patients had a recent history of either travel to Mexico or ingestion of unpasteurized milk products from Mexico. Fever was an initial complaint in 80% of the patients, and 50% of the patients presented with arthritis. Diagnosis was made via the identification of Brucella melitensis in the blood cultures of 18 patients. Five patients experienced relapse, and 3 experienced treatment failure. Childhood brucellosis in the United States is now an imported disease, primarily from Mexico. In the context of this epidemiologic link, the diagnosis should be entertained for a patient who presents with signs of systemic inflammation and arthritis. Therapeutic challenges remain.