Spinal brucellosis: case report in the United States.

STUDY DESIGN: Case report. OBJECTIVE: To increase awareness of spinal brucellosis and discuss demographics, diagnosis, and treatment. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Brucellosis is a rare cause of spinal infections in the United States, although there have been regional increases in its prevalence. METHODS: Retrospective review of a patient with spinal brucellosis. She underwent a protracted course of treatment, with a long delay in diagnosis. History ultimately revealed regular consumption of unpasteurized goat cheese. Appropriate testing subsequently led to the diagnosis. RESULTS: After multiple surgeries and medications, the condition responded well to definitive antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSION: Brucellosis is rare in the United States and thus often overlooked in the differential diagnosis of back pain. The changing risk pattern for this disease requires a high index of suspicion, which can result in early diagnosis and predictably favorable results to treatment.