Neurobrucellosis

Abstract

Brucellosis (infection with Brucella sp) is a common zoonotic disease and recently it had been reported from many parts of India. Human brucellosis is a multi system disease that may present with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. Involvement of nervous system is rare but is potentially serious and may be affected both in the acute and chronic stages of the disease. It may manifest as meningitis, meningoencephalitis, myelitis, polyradiculoneuropathy, retrobulbar neuritis, papillitis, peripheral and cranial neuritis, cerebrovascular events, spondylosis, polyneuroradiculo-myeloencephalopathy. Gold standard diagnosis certainly requires isolation of organism from blood and make it as investigation of choice. Adequate and early treatment produces very good recovery without neurological deficit in majority of cases. Management requires supportive therapy along with combination of antibiotics including doxycycline, rifampicine, aminoglycosides, contrimoxazole for a period of 8-12 weeks. High degree for suspicion in susceptible individual is very necessary for its diagnosis.