Introduction:

Brucellosis is the most frequent zoonosis, produced by the genus brucella, which affects several species of mammals, including human beings. It is transmitted to persons by direct contact with infected animals, by their excreta or by ingestion of unpasteurized products. In recent years, an increase has been described in immunocompromised patients.

Objectives:

To describe the reactivation of brucellosis in a hematopoietic transplant recipient patient, its course and management.

Case presentation:

A patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma and a history of brucellosis is presented; that she received a myeloablative autologous hematopoietic transplant. After haematological recovery, she started with symptoms of fever, diaphoresis, joint pain and hepato-splenomegaly. She was diagnosed with brucellosis, so treatment with doxycycline and rifampin was started, which eliminated the symptoms and made the evolutionary tests negative.

Conclusions:

Brucellosis can be asymptomatic for months or years and after immunosuppression it can be reactivated in transplanted patients. Suspicion and prompt treatment can bring about a cure and avoid complications.

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