Renal abscess caused by Brucella

Abstract

Involvement of the renal parenchyma in the acute phase of brucellosis is very rare. Only two cases of renal brucelloma have been reported in the English language literature to date. We report a case of renal abscess caused by Brucella in the acute phase. A 45-year-old Chinese man presented with a high fever, urine occult blood, and a low density lesion in the right kidney. Ultrasound-guided aspiration was done. Brucella melitensis was isolated from both blood and puncture fluid culture. Minocycline combined with moxifloxacin was prescribed for 4 months. The infection relapsed at 6 months after discontinuation. Minocycline combined with rifampin was administered for another 2 months. The brucellosis had not relapsed at more than 20 months later. It is possible to cure renal brucelloma with antibiotics and ultrasound-guided aspiration. Treatment should not be discontinued until the abscess has disappeared and two consecutive blood cultures taken 1 month apart are negative.

Keywords

• Brucella melitensis
• Brucellosis
• Renal brucelloma