02-07-2025
EXCLUSIVE I had a headache for a year... it turned out to be a deadly infection
A woman who endured a headache for nearly a year was stunned to learn that her symptoms were caused by a rare brain infection contracted from consuming raw dairy.
The unnamed 25-year-old from Syria had spent a month battling the pain that would worsen when she lay down.
When it became unbearable, the woman finally visited a local hospital and was diagnosed with an active frontal headache. Doctors prescribed painkillers and she was sent home.
But her condition deteriorated, and she developed photophobia, blurred vision, tinnitus, nausea and vomiting.
Two weeks later, she returned to the hospital - only to be told once again she was suffering from a normal headache.
The condition persisted for more than 10 months as doctors continued to hunt for the underlying cause.
Eventually, after a series of blood and cerebrospinal fluid tests, doctors detected antibodies of Brucella - a bacteria typically found in unpasteurized dairy - in her system.
This led to a diagnosis of Brucellosis, a rare infection that can cause damage to the heart, central nervous system and liver.
Although she did not display classic symptoms such as fever or joint pain, further evaluation pointed to Brucella meningitis, a serious complication of Brucellosis that occurs when the infection reaches the brain and spinal cord.
Brucellosis is prevalent in the Mediterranean and Middle East, and can spread to humans from infected animals, including cows, pigs, goats, sheep and dogs, from contact with their bodily fluids or breathing the bacteria in.
However, drinking unpasteurized milk or eating unpasteurized milk products such as fresh cheese can also put people at risk of developing the infection.
Once inside the body, the bacteria invade the lymph nodes or tissues, multiplying slowly.
If left untreated, the infection can lead to inflammation in the inner lining of the heart chambers, damage to heart valves, restricted blood flow, pain, and stiffness and swelling in the joints that can pave the way for arthritis.
While there are about 500,000 cases of Brucellosis globally every year, only about 200 cases are reported in the US. Fewer than two percent of people who develop the infection die from the disease.
While Brucellosis is usually treated with antibiotics, the bacteria can invade the central nervous system, causing meningitis - inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
This can cause serious damage to the brain and spinal cord, leading to infections and nerve-related complications.
Initially, those afflicted can experience severe headaches, confusion, depression and behavior changes.
But the infection can rapidly worsen and cause fever, fatigue, muscle and joint pain, appetite issues, discomfort, sweating, swelling of one or both testicles, and liver inflammation.
Doctors find it difficult to diagnose Brucellosis since early symptoms are similar to flu and are usually able to do so only once the infection progresses.
During her first visit to the hospital, tests showed her blood and cerebrospinal fluid had normal sugar and protein levels.
Additionally, they found no swelling in the nerves of her brain or any abnormalities in any part of her brain.
Since the test results were clear, she was misdiagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension, a condition marked by elevated pressure inside the skull without a clear cause.
But she continued to return to the hospital over the span of 10 months while battling a debilitating headache and other symptoms including double vision and crossed eyes.
Doctors began to re-evaluate her case. They conducted a Wright test, which mixes a patient's serum with a suspension of Brucella bacteria to find antibodies.
When this, along with blood and fluid tests, confirmed the presence of Brucella bacteria antibodies, doctors finalized the diagnosis.
The young woman was treated with a combination of rifampicin and doxycycline, both antibiotics used for eight weeks to combat a variety of bacterial infections.
Experts also noted that combinations including doxycycline and rifampin, ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone might be the most suitable treatment for Brucellosis.
This comes a year after two South Carolina families - along with five of their pets and eight veterinarians - were exposed to Brucella after caring for an infected dog and her puppies.
The dog, originally taken in as a stray by a foster family before being adopted into a permanent family, was found to be harboring the bacteria. The infection led to the death of her puppies and left her infertile.
Brucella canis spreads to humans through contact with contaminated canine bodily fluids. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the foster family had handled the dead puppies without protective equipment, prompting fears they could have been infected.
Canines can become infected through mating with an infected animal or coming into contact with infected semen, vaginal or menstrual secretions. If an infected dog is pregnant, the bacteria can be transmitted to the puppies in the womb, during birth or when drinking her milk.
Infection in humans occurs when material contaminated with B. canis comes into contact with people's mucous membranes, such as their eyes and mouth, or via an open cut.
People can also contract B. canis from other biological material that infected dogs produce, such as urine or feces, though these latter routes are less common.
