Splenic abcess owing to brucellosis

Brucellosis, caused by aerobic Gram-negative coccabacilli, is prevalent worldwide. It occurs mainly because of the consumption of unpasteurised milk and contact with animals. The disease is particularly hyperendemic in the Mediterranean region and Arabian Peninsula. Its high prevalence in the UAE continues to be a major health problem, causing significant morbidity and mortality. According to the Ministry of Health, 119 cases were reported in 2010, and most of those cases were patients aged over 45. Even though an effective treatment is available for this disease, treatment failure frequently occurs owing to delay in diagnosis, relapses and its prolonged clinical course. We present a 33-year-old man who was admitted to our internal medicine teaching unit service with non-specific symptoms. A workup revealed Brucella in the blood cultures. An abdominal ultrasound showed multiple splenic abscesses. After treatment with triple therapy, the patient has remained asymptomatic at 2 years follow-up.