Brucellosis presenting as myelofibrosis: First case report

Received 8 January 2009; received in revised form 8 March 2009; accepted 15 March 2009. published online 08 June 2009.

Summary

We describe the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with pancytopenia and myelofibrosis. Brucella melitensis was identified in her blood. The patient recovered completely with doxycycline and rifampin. A repeat bone marrow biopsy showed hypercellularity without myelofibrosis. Bone marrow findings in cases of pancytopenia due to brucellosis reveal normocellularity, hypercellularity, hemophagocytosis, or granuloma. To our knowledge this is the first report of brucellosis causing myelofibrosis. Brucellosis should be considered as a possible cause of myelofibrosis in endemic areas.

Corresponding Editor: Ziad Memish, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Keywords: Brucella, Pancytopenia, Myelofibrosis, Bone marrow

a Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Jordan University Hospital, PO Box 13046, Amman 11942, Jordan

b Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan

c Department of Pathology–Microbiology, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan

d Department of Pathology, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan

e Department of Radiology, Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan

Corresponding author. Tel.: +962 6 5353666x2474; fax: +962 6 5353388.

PII: S1201-9712(09)00154-4

doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2009.03.018

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