{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T04:59:19Z","timestamp":1781240359176,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781222400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Brucella infection frequently involves multiple organ systems, such as muscles, bones, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, and others. Its clinical manifestations lack specificity. Acute kidney injury complicated by haemophagocytic syndrome is particularly rare in the course of brucellosis. We described a 51-year-old man with brucellosis presenting with acute kidney injury and haemophagocytic syndrome. His primary manifestations included unexplained fever, progressive pancytopenia, progressive elevation of serum creatinine, imaging demonstrating increased renal cortical echogenicity, and positive blood culture results for Brucella. Following combined anti-Brucella therapy and etoposide (VP-16) chemotherapy, the patient's symptoms and renal function improved significantly. This case highlights the need to consider rare pathogens in cases of unexplained fever, as the clinical features of haemophagocytic syndrome lack specificity. Detailed history-taking, definitive laboratory findings, and awareness of rare complications of brucellosis facilitate early diagnosis and management.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fmed.2026.1780291","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]],"date-time":"2026-06-12T04:47:08Z","timestamp":1781239628000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Brucellosis associated with acute kidney injury and pancytopenia: a case report and review of the literature"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Ya","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nephrology, The Second Hospital and Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, Gansu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Fangqiu","family":"Yu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, The Second Hospital and Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, Gansu, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wei","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, The Second Hospital and Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, Gansu, China"]},{"name":"Department of Urology, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University","place":["Shenzhen, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3843","DOI":"10.1016\/j.csbj.2020.11.014","article-title":"Transmission dynamics of brucellosis: Mathematical modelling and applications in China","volume":"18","author":"Sun","year":"2020","journal-title":"Comput Struct Biotechnol J."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5712920","DOI":"10.1155\/2018\/5712920","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiology and clinical manifestations of human brucellosis in China","volume":"2018","author":"Zheng","year":"2018","journal-title":"Biomed Res Int."},{"key":"B3","first-page":"114","article-title":"Epidemiological characteristics of human brucellosis - China, 2016\u20132019","volume":"3","author":"Tao","year":"2021","journal-title":"China CDC Wkly"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.1017\/S095026881000097X","article-title":"Origin, evolution and paleoepidemiology of brucellosis","volume":"139","author":"D'Anastasio","year":"2011","journal-title":"Epidemiol Infect."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1179","DOI":"10.1016\/j.urology.2008.01.063","article-title":"Renal involvement in brucella infection","volume":"73","author":"Ceylan","year":"2009","journal-title":"Urology"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(06)70382-6","article-title":"The new global map of human brucellosis","volume":"6","author":"Pappas","year":"2006","journal-title":"Lancet Infect Dis."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109","DOI":"10.5144\/0256-4947.2021.109","article-title":"Clinical manifestations and treatment outcomes of human brucellosis at a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia","volume":"41","author":"Edathodu","year":"2021","journal-title":"Ann Saudi Med."},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmii.2016.02.004","article-title":"Testicular infection in brucellosis: report of 34 cases","volume":"51","author":"Bosilkovski","year":"2018","journal-title":"J Microbiol Immunol Infect."},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2017","DOI":"10.1086\/324489","article-title":"Epididymoorchitis due to Brucella mellitensis: a retrospective study of 59 patients","volume":"33","author":"Navarro-Mart\u00ednez","year":"2001","journal-title":"Clin Infect Dis."},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"33","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00073-19","article-title":"Laboratory diagnosis of human brucellosis","author":"Yagupsky","year":"2019","journal-title":"Clin Microbiol Rev"},{"key":"B11","author":"Tran","year":"2022","journal-title":"CADTH Health Technology Review. 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