Clinical Findings of Brucellar Spondylitis - A Case Report -

Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease that it is rare in Korea. However, there have been regional increases in its prevalence. Brucellar spondylitis is difficult to diagnose because the clinical presentation is often variable and nonspecific. Therefore, it is often overlooked in a differential diagnosis of back pain. A culture and microbiologic study is the choice for diagnosing brucellar spondylitis. If treatment is not properly done, brucellar spondylitis can result in severe complications including neurobrucellosis. Medical treatments for brucellar spondylitis are generally encouraged, even though surgical treatments are performed in cases showing spinal instability caused by progressive spinal cord and root compression. The combination of doxycycline and streptomycin for 3 weeks followed by a combination of doxycycline and rifampicin for 6 months is the most effective regimen. We report a case of brucellar spondylitis to highlight it as one of the possible cause of back pain in Korea.