Laboratory-acquired Brucellosis

Abstract

We report two laboratory-acquired Brucella melitensis infections that were shown to be epidemiologically related. Blood culture isolates were initially misidentified because of variable Gram stain results, which led to misdiagnoses and subsequent laboratory exposures. Notifying laboratory personnel who unknowingly processed cultures from brucellosis patients is an important preventive measure.

Keywords

• brucellosis
• laboratory-acquired
• Gram stain
• dispatch
• United States