Pancytopenia due to hemophagocytosis in patients with brucellosis: a report of four cases.

In 42 patients with brucellosis who had bone-marrow cultures performed, five had hemophagocytosis, four of whom demonstrated peripheral hemocytopenia. All five patients with hemophagocytosis had Brucella melitensis isolated from both blood and bone-marrow cultures. Infectious diseases such as brucellosis should be considered in patients whose clinical picture suggests malignant histiocytosis, especially in geographic areas where brucellar infections are common.