False-Positive Brucella Agglutination in a Pediatric Case with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Brucellosis, also known as Mediterranean fever or Malta fever, is a zoonotic infection which is prevalent in developing countries and remains an important public health concern.The most common symptoms in children include fever, malaise, myalgia, night sweats, arthritis, and arthralgia.The differential diagnosis of brucellosis encompasses a wide range of infectious, rheumatological, and malignant disorders.Although several reports describing false-positive serological results have been published, this is one of the rare pediatric cases of Burkitt lymphoma presenting with positive Brucella agglutination test results to be reported in the literature.The gold standard for the diagnosis of brucellosis is the isolation of the organism from tissue specimens or specific body fluid cultures.Although Brucella agglutination and other serological tests are useful diagnostic tools, false-positive results may occur, particularly in those patients with rheumatological diseases and infections caused by other microorganisms.