Isolation of Brucella melitensis from an abscess on the left foot of a 3-year-old infant

Abstract

An unusual case of a 3-year-old girl with a brucellar foot abscess is reported. Although direct microscopic examination of samples from the lesion did not reveal micro-organisms of any kind, a 7 day culture of caseous material yielded small colonies of Gram-negative cocobacilli in Löwenstein–Jensen medium. These were biochemically and molecularly identified as Brucella melitensis. The possibility of foot abscess being caused by Brucella should be considered in countries where brucellosis is endemic.