Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of 18 patients with Brucella melitensis infection (abbreviated as brucellosis) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (abbreviated as Xinjiang). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 18 patients diagnosed with Brucella melitensis infection by blood culture at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from March 2023 to March 2024, including general information, epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, etc. Results:Among the 18 patients with sheep brucellosis, 14 patients were aged 45-59 years old and 13 patients were male, with 13 cases having a clear history of contact with cattle and sheep. The main clinical manifestations were fever (18 cases), bone and joint pain (5 cases), and fatigue (5 cases). Laboratory test results confirmed all 18 cases as Brucella melitensis infection (AMOS-PCR), with one case originating from cattle. Laboratory tests showed that 12 patients had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Correlation analysis revealed, there was a positive association between aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and LDH ( r = 0.84, P < 0.001); a positive correlation between the number of affected systems and the percentage of neutrophils (N%, r = 0.73, P = 0.001); a positive correlation between the duration of medication and the number of affected systems ( r = 0.82, P < 0.001) and N% ( r = 0.75, P = 0.001); and a negative correlation between treatment duration and lymphocyte percentage (LYM%, r =-0.76, P = 0.001). Conclusions:The main source of Brucella melitensis infection in Xinjiang is sheep, and contact with cattle can also cause Brucella melitensis infection. Brucella melitensis patients are more common in middle-aged males. The clinical manifestations are diverse and atypical; N% and LYM% are correlated with the number of affected systems.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of 18 patients with Brucella melitensis infection (abbreviated as brucellosis) in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (abbreviated as Xinjiang). Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 18 patients diagnosed with Brucella melitensis infection by blood culture at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University from March 2023 to March 2024, including general information, epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory test results, etc. Results:Among the 18 patients with sheep brucellosis, 14 patients were aged 45-59 years old and 13 patients were male, with 13 cases having a clear history of contact with cattle and sheep. The main clinical manifestations were fever (18 cases), bone and joint pain (5 cases), and fatigue (5 cases). Laboratory test results confirmed all 18 cases as Brucella melitensis infection (AMOS-PCR), with one case originating from cattle. Laboratory tests showed that 12 patients had elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Correlation analysis revealed, there was a positive association between aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and LDH ( r = 0.84, P < 0.001); a positive correlation between the number of affected systems and the percentage of neutrophils (N%, r = 0.73, P = 0.001); a positive correlation between the duration of medication and the number of affected systems ( r = 0.82, P < 0.001) and N% ( r = 0.75, P = 0.001); and a negative correlation between treatment duration and lymphocyte percentage (LYM%, r =-0.76, P = 0.001). Conclusions:The main source of Brucella melitensis infection in Xinjiang is sheep, and contact with cattle can also cause Brucella melitensis infection. Brucella melitensis patients are more common in middle-aged males. The clinical manifestations are diverse and atypical; N% and LYM% are correlated with the number of affected systems.