{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.02190395956192081, 'fraction_numerical': 0.016849199663016005, 'mean_word_length': 5.56353591160221, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Neurobrucellosis: Challenges for Therapy

Background Brucellosis is a common zoonotic infection throughout the world, and is endemic in Saudi Arabia. Neurobrucellosis is a rare, severe form of systemic brucella infection. Treatment of neurobrucellosis continues to be variable, depending on the location of diagnosis. Methods A retrospective patient chart review was undertaken from 1995 to 2010 at King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, to identify cases of neurobrucellosis following a proposed case definition. Follow-up visits were evaluated to determine response to treatment. Results A total of 22 cases of neurobrucellosis were identified from a total of 517 cases of brucellosis. The mean patient age was 42.5 years with a male to female ratio of 1:1. Most antibiotic combinations included doxycycline, rifampin, and cotrimoxazole (36%). Three patients received ciprofloxacin in combination with other antibiotics and showed a satisfactory response. Conclusion Combination of antibrucella antibiotics is recommended, but there are no clear guidelines regarding antibiotic selection and duration of therapy. The use of ciprofloxacin in cases of neurobrucellosis should be evaluated.