Clinical features:
(1) fever (axillary temperature > 37.8°C)
(2) chills with or without rigors
(3) sweating
(4) anorexia
(5) asthenia (lack or loss of strength)
(6) malaise
(7) arthralgias and/or arthritis
(8) myalgias
(9) headaches
(10) lumbar or low back pain
(11) testicular pain in males (due to orchitis)
(12) hepatomegaly
(13) splenomegaly
(14) relative bradycardia
(15) lymphadenopathy
(16) neurologic deficits
(17) depression
Laboratory findings:
(1) seroconversion or rise in titers of anti-brucellar antibodies
(2) blood or other culture positive for Brucella species
(3) ESR may be normal or elevated
Some patients develop focal involvement (complications) affecting one or more organ systems:
(1) gastrointestinal tract (acute ileitis, colitis)
(2) hepatobiliary system (hepatitis, acute cholecystitis, pancreatitis)
(3) bone (osteomyelitis, sacroiliitis, tenosynovitis, spondylitis, paraspinal abscess)
(4) nervous system (meningitis, encephalitis, abscess, demyelinating syndrome, meningovascular syndrome, myelitis-radiculoneuronitis)
(5) cardiovascular system (endocarditis, mycotic aneurysms)
(6) respiratory system (bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, abscess, effusions)
(7) genitourinary system (orchitis, epididymitis, salpingitis, abortion)
(8) hematologic (pancytopenia, immune thrombocytopenia)
(9) cutaneous
(10) ocular (uveitis, endophthalmitis)
