Parotid abscess due to brucellosis: a case report

Background Brucellosis is a systemic disease that can damage one or multiple organs. It can present with different clinical characteristics and nonspecific symptoms. Although local abscess formation secondary to brucellosis has been reported in various organs including spleen and liver, parotid abscess due to brucellosis is a rare event. Case presentation The patient was a 65 years-old male who was engaged in sheep breeding in Gansu province, the northwestern part of China. He had a 2-year history of lower back pain, a 6-month history of the right knee pain and a 20-day history of pain, swelling, and redness in the right side of his neck. The Brucella spp. was found in the culture of the abscess drainage fluid. He was considered to be parotid abscess and spondylitis due to brucellosis. Antibiotics combined with local drainage achieved clinical improvement in this patient, and formal surgical incision or parotidectomy was avoided. Conclusions Parotid abscess is a rare complication of brucellosis. This case offers clinical experience for the diagnosis and management of this brucellosis-associated complication.