Spinal brucellosis

Twenty-one patients with spinal brucellosis were reviewed. The disease is difficult to diagnose, and is often confused with spinal tuberculosis. Our study showed that it was best diagnosed by serology and bacterial culture; radiography and scanning were less helpful in the early stages. After only six weeks' antibiotic treatment, there was a 55% clinical and serological reactivation rate: better results were achieved after at least three months of treatment. The adequacy of treatment was best monitored with repeated agglutination titres, and the duration of treatment proved to be more important than the antibiotic agent itself. Surgical intervention was reserved for biopsy, severe neurological impairment, or for spinal stabilisation.