Panniculitis as the Initial Manifestation of Brucellosis: A Case Report

Abstract

Here, we describe a 38-year-old male with an abrupt manifestation acute panniculitis as unusual presentation of brucellosis. Brucellosis is a remerging disease in Turkey, and the disease is primarily transmitted from farm animals to humans. Farmers and shepherds are the major risk groups for brucellosis in Anatolia. Brucellosis may involve almost all systems and organs, including the skin, and may mimic a wide range of illness and syndromes. Although the cutaneous manifestation of brucellosis is not disease specific, but it occurs in about 6%-13% of patients with brucellosis. Some of these lesions including rashes, papules, ulcers, abscess, erythema nodosum, ecchymosed skin rash, purpura, and vasculitis may be seen frequently in brucellosis, but panniculitis is rarely described. The case confirmed by positive blood culture had manifest skin lesion as an initial finding represented by lobular panniculitis with vasculitis. © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.