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A 67-year-old man presented with chronic low-back pain, unintentional weight loss, and intermittent fevers in the setting of a recent trip to Mexico. Imaging showed discitis and osteomyelitis, and epidural cultures confirmed brucellosis. Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection endemic to Eurasia and South America but has a low incidence in the United States. Although the vast majority of cases of vertebral osteomyelitis are due to common bacterial organisms, a thorough history can prompt earlier consideration of atypical infections. This case highlights brucellosis as an etiologic consideration in cases of unexplained osteomyelitis and how expanded history-taking can help clinicians more readily identify risk factors for less common infections.
Lipovac et al. (Fri,) studied this question.