Chronic Brucellosis in Japan

• Published in: Internal Medicine Vol. 58; no. 21; pp. 3179 - 3183
• Main Authors: Kawakami, Naoki, Wakai, Yoko, Saito, Kazuhito, Imaoka, Koichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine 01.11.2019; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Agglutination; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Brucella canis; Brucellosis; Brucellosis - diagnosis; Brucellosis - drug therapy; Case Report; chronic brucellosis; Chronic Disease; chronic fatigue; Chronic infection; Diagnosis, Differential; Differential diagnosis; Doxycycline; Doxycycline - administration & dosage; Drug Therapy, Combination; Fatigue - diagnosis; Fatigue - microbiology; Female; Fever; Fever - diagnosis; Fever - microbiology; Humans; Injections, Intramuscular; intermittent fever; Internal medicine; Japan; Streptomycin; Streptomycin - administration & dosage; undulant fever; Zoonoses; Zoonoses - diagnosis; Zoonoses - drug therapy; Japan; undulant fever; chronic fatigue; Brucella canis; intermittent fever; chronic brucellosis
• ISSN: 0918-2918; 1349-7235; 1349-7235
• DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2961-19

Human brucellosis, one of the most common zoonoses worldwide, rarely occurs in Japan, and only a few chronic cases have been reported. We herein report the case of a 39-year-old Japanese woman with chronic human brucellosis, considered a Brucella canis infection, that persisted for 19 years. Her medical history and fever pattern suggested chronic brucellosis, and the diagnosis was made based on the results of a serum tube agglutination test (SAT). After undergoing combination therapy with streptomycin and doxycycline, she achieved symptomatic relief and showed negative SAT results. Even in non-endemic areas, chronic brucellosis is an important differential diagnosis in patients with long-term persistent fatigue or a fever.