Human brucellosis is the most frequently contracted zoonotic infection worldwide. Although being an old disease that carries minimal risks of mortality, it remains a source of considerable sequelae and disability. However, noncontiguous multifocal spinal involvement is an exceptional presentation of brucellosis; additionally, an associated paravertebral abscess is extremely rare.

This paper focuses on a 67-year-old Lebanese woman with noncontiguous multifocal Brucella spondylodiscitis, involving the T12–L1 and L3–L4 segments, with paravertebral abscess formation. She presented with a 3-week history of acute severe lumbar back pain, radiating to the lower extremities and associated with impaired mobility and lower extremity weakness. The patient complained of night sweating but had no fever. No lymphadenopathy, hepatomegaly, or splenomegaly could be observed. She had painful percussion of the lumbar spine, painful passive mobilization, and paravertebral tenderness, yet her neurological examination was completely normal. BrucellaCapt test was positive at a titer of 1/5120 (reference range 1/180). The patient was treated with an inpatient regimen for 2 weeks, which was followed by an outpatient oral antibiotic regimen with doxycycline, rifampin, and ciprofloxacin to complete a total treatment duration of 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at the end of the treatment and showed a complete resolution of the paravertebral abscess.

Noncontiguous multifocal Brucella spondylodiscitis with paravertebral abscess is an extremely rare presentation. It may be effectively managed by antibiotic therapy, without surgery or drainage, in the absence of neurological complications. Nonetheless, the principal challenge to an efficient management is establishing the diagnosis of Brucella in the first place. In endemic countries, a strong suspicion of spinal involvement of brucellosis should be elicited in front of back pain presentations—even in the absence of fever and other related symptoms.

• Brucellosis
• Case report
• Lebanon
• Multifocal
• Paravertebral abscess
• Spondylodiscitis

Diffuse brucellar spondylodiscitis is the most severe subtype of osteoarticular brucellosis and is defined as a brucellar infection involving an entire vertebral body, typically a lumbar vertebra, with spread to the adjacent disc space, vertebra, and even extravertebral spaces, including epidural, paraspinal, or intramuscular locations. Although it is a relatively rare diagnosis in the US healthcare system, it should be considered in all patients with severe back pain, radicular symptoms, and a history of extensive exposure to an endemic area. Any delays in treatment can be associated with an increased risk of permanent neurological deficits or death. Here, we present a case of diffuse brucellar spondylodiscitis in a patient who presented to our facility with a history of extensive exposure to an endemic area. While an MRI can reveal pathognomonic findings in brucellar spondylodiscitis, for our case, it was nonspecific. The MRI provided early evidence of an infectious etiology which prompted immediate broad-spectrum antimicrobial coverage until causal organisms were identified and culture sensitivities directed targeted antibiotic therapy. The patient was able to recover over the course of four months without surgical intervention. At her final clinical follow-up, she had no neurological deficits and had complete resolution of her radicular symptoms.

• brucella
• diffuse brucellosis
• discitis
• piriformis abscess
• spondylodiscitis

• Cauda Equina/diagnostic imaging
• Delayed Diagnosis
• Diagnosis, Differential
• Humans
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Polyradiculopathy/diagnosis
• Polyradiculopathy/therapy

• Spinal epidural abscess
• antibiotic therapy
• large paraspinal abscess
• percutaneous drainage
• serum agglutination test
• spinal brucellosis

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.

• Brucellosis
• Brucella
• Osteoarticular manifestations
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Bone
• Joint

We clarified the imaging features of Brucella spondylitis to enhance our understanding of the disease and to minimize misdiagnosis.

Imaging data (X-ray, computed tomography [CT], and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] data) of 72 Brucella spondylitis patients treated from 2010 to 2017 were retrospectively analyzed; diagnoses was made by evaluating laboratory and pathological data.

X-ray films revealed changes in intervertebral space heights, the number of lateral osteophytes, and bone destruction, which were more severe in the following order: lumbosacral vertebrae (56 cases, 77.8%), cervical spine (6 cases, 8.3%), thoracic spine (5 cases, 6.9%), and multi-segmental mixed vertebrae (5 cases, 6.9%). CT revealed osteolytic destruction attributable to early-stage Brucella spondylitis (endplate and vertebral lamellar osteolysis), usually associated with multiple vertebral involvement, with the middle and late disease stages being characterized by osteophytes in the vertebral margins and bony bridges, endplate sclerosis, and vertebral osteosynthesis. We encountered 54 cases (75%) with endplate lamellar osteolysis, 37 (51.4%) with vertebral lamellar osteolysis, 59 (81.9%) with marginal osteophytes, 10 (13.9%) with bony bridges, 25 (34.7%) with vertebral laminar sclerosis, and 17 (23.6%) with vertebral osteosynthesis. MRI revealed early, low-intensity, differential T1WI vertebral and intervertebral signals, with occasional iso-signals, T2WI iso-signals or high-intensity signals; and T2WI-FS vertebral and intervertebral high-intensity signals, commonly from vertebral soft tissues and rarely from paravertebral abscesses.

A better understanding of the X-ray, CT, and MRI features of Brucella spondylitis could aid in diagnosis when combined with epidemiological and laboratory data, thus minimizing misdiagnosis.