Splenic abscess due to brucellosis: A case report and a review of the literature

Splenic abscess due to acute brucellosis is a rare event. We report a case of multiple splenic abscesses caused by Brucella melitensis in a 45-year-old woman and review the English language literature based on a PubMed/MEDLINE search of the last 50 years. The majority of the cases published in the literature were due to B. melitensis and a splenectomy was required in half of the cases. Antibiotics alone without surgical intervention can be successful in the treatment of patients with splenic brucellosis in the early stages of the disease. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Infectious Diseases. All rights reserved.