Isolation of Brucella melitensis from a human case of chronic additive polyarthritis.

Brucellar arthritis remains under diagnosed owing to non-specific clinical manifestations. Here, we report isolation of Brucella melitensis from synovial fluid of 5th metatarsophalangeal joint of a 39-year-old lady having unusually chronic asymmetric, additive, peripheral polyarthritis. This isolation was confirmed by Bruce-Ladder polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The patient had a history of contact with an aborted goat. Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination Test (RBPT) and Standard Tube Agglutination Test (SAT) were positive for Brucella-specific antibodies both for patient and in contact with sheep and goats. The patient was treated with doxycycline and rifampicin for 16 weeks and was recovered fully.