Bo Liu,* Yao Zhang,* Zheng Yuan, Qiang Zhang

Department of Orthopaedics, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Qiang Zhang, Department of Orthopaedics, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, National Centre for Medical Infectious Diseases, No. 8 Jingshun Eest Road, Beijing, 100015, People’s Republic of China, Email sydtzhangqiang@163.com

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that can affect various organs, including the spine. Cervical spondylitis caused by Brucella is rare but can lead to significant morbidity if not diagnosed and treated promptly.
Case Presentation: We report a case of a 46-year-old female who presented with intermittent high fever and intractable neck, shoulder, and back pain for two months. She was diagnosed with Brucella cervical spondylitis based on clinical manifestations, Rose-Bengal Plate Agglutination Test (RBPT, positive), and cervical MRI findings. She was treated with a combination of antibiotics for at least two weeks, followed by surgical intervention including abscess clearance, partial vertebral resection, and titanium mesh bone fusion. Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed the presence of sheep Brucella DNA. The patient recovered well postoperatively with significant pain reduction and restoration of full mobility in the right upper limb.
Conclusion: This case highlights the diagnostic value of RT-PCR and tissue biopsy in cervical brucellosis spondylitis. Our study found that anterior cervical subtotal corpectomy can restore cervical stability, clear abscess, and relieve spinal cord compression on the basis of drug treatment, with good clinical results.

Keywords: Brucellosis, cervical spondylitis, anterior cervical subtotal corpectomy, RT-PCR, gam staining, case report