Human case of brucellosis in Florida

Researchers at the University of Florida and the Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in collaboration with colleagues at the Department of Health and the CDC in Atlanta, have reported a human case of brucellosis, an infection caused by the bacterium Brucella suis. The patient contracted the infection in 2017, yet it was not diagnosed until many years later. It was transmitted through the consumption of raw wild boar meat, as determined by subsequent microbiological analysis. The bacterium, which can remain dormant for years, hidden in immune cells, had colonized the patient’s heart, the subclavian vein, and a portion of the thoracic cavity, extending to the cardiac defibrillator implanted in the man’s chest. It was essential that the medical device be removed before administration of antibiotic therapy to eradicate the infection.