# Brucella Pneumonia Mimicking Pulmonary Tuberculosis: A Case Report

## TL;DR

A 31-year-old man's pneumonia was initially thought to be tuberculosis but was later diagnosed as brucellosis, highlighting the need to consider this infection in similar cases.

## Contribution

The case highlights brucellosis as a rare but important cause of pneumonia that can mimic tuberculosis.

## Key findings

- The patient's chest X-ray showed bilateral patchy consolidations, initially suggesting tuberculosis.
- Further testing confirmed brucellosis-related pneumonia and ruled out tuberculosis.
- Treatment with doxycycline and rifampin resolved symptoms and improved imaging results.

## Abstract

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection prevalent in certain regions. It typically presents with nonspecific symptoms but can also cause focal organ involvement, including the musculoskeletal, neurological, or pulmonary systems. Herein, we present a case of a 31‐year‐old male patient who presented with a 5‐day history of fever and cough. Chest X‐ray revealed bilateral patchy consolidations, initially suggesting an infectious etiology such as tuberculosis. Given the patient's background, further investigation confirmed brucellosis‐related pneumonia, an uncommon pulmonary manifestation of brucellosis. Additional workup excluded tuberculosis as a possible cause for the lung findings. He was treated with doxycycline and rifampin, leading to symptom resolution and improvement on follow‐up imaging. This case underscores the importance of considering brucellosis in the differential diagnosis of atypical pneumonia in patients from endemic regions.