Hepatosplenic abscesses due to Brucella melitensis: Report of a case involving a child and review of the literature

Suppurative disease of the liver and/or spleen is a rare and serious complication of human brucellosis. In the English-language literature, only nine cases have been reported, all involving adults with chronic infection. We report the case of a young child in whom abscesses of the liver and spleen developed during acute brucellosis. Brucella melitensis was cultured from an aspirate of the liver and from the bone marrow. After percutaneous drainage of the liver abscess, the patient responded to a 56-day course of antimicrobial therapy. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of hepatosplenic abscess due to a Brucella species in a child.