Brucella melitensis

Record number: 
381
Adverse Occurrence type: 
MPHO Type: 
Alerting signals, symptoms, evidence of occurrence: 
BM donor, brother of recipient was a farmer who drank unpasteurized milk 3 weeks before donating. Two days after donation donor developed fever, headache, malaise, sweats, weakness.Blood cultures taken. Donated BM suspension and donor blood cultures grew B. mellitensis after 10 days incubation. Recipient with aplastic anemia was neutropenic, did not drink raw milk before BMT, was developing fever before BMT, became afebrile after tetracycline therapy while her marrow also engrafted. Her blood cultures were negative; no Brucella infection documented. She improved. She did not develop brucella antibodies post-BMT.
Demonstration of imputability or root cause: 
Possible, unproven transmission of B melitensis. B melitensis infection in donor blood and marrow suspension proven. B mellitensis not proven in recipient.