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Respiratory Brucellosis

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Madkour’s Brucellosis

Abstract

Respiratory symptoms are common yet very mild and usually overshadowed by other clinical manifestations of brucellosis. For this reason, patients who initially present severe respiratory symptoms are usually misdiagnosed. This becomes more obvious in countries where brucellosis and tuberculosis are endemic (Shipley 1945). The respiratory route of entry of Brucella organisms through inhalation of aerosol is well documented. Laboratory staff, veterinary personnel and abattoir and meat processing industry workers are particularly at risk of infection through this route. However, pulmonary manifestations are not observed in the above-mentioned occupations and infection occurs via haematogenous spread (Lafferty 1937; Elberg et al. 1948; Harvey 1948; Kaufmann et al. 1980). Dry cough is usually mild but may be a presenting feature when it is severe. Nodular or miliary lung shadowing similar to that seen in tuberculosis maybe depicted on plain chest radiography. Pneumonia or bronchopneumonia may be thought due to other causes, delaying the use of appropriate antibiotics. Pleural effusion, lung abscess and empyema are usually diagnosed as due to tuberculosis during the initial stage of assessment.

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Authors
  1. M. Monir Madkour
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  2. Abdulaziz Al-Saif
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Madkour, M.M., Al-Saif, A. (2001). Respiratory Brucellosis. In: Madkour’s Brucellosis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59533-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59533-2_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-67272-2

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