Brucella as an unexpected cause of erythema nodosum

Abstract

Erythema nodosum (EN) is the most common panniculitis which affects individuals from all ages. Etiologically most of the cases are idiopathic EN and infections rank the second. Its clinical presentation is sudden, hot erythematous nodules or plaques in legs, knees or ankles with a diameter ranging between 1 and 5 cm. In the majority of cases, healing is observed within two to eight weeks without any scar tissues. It may occasionally manifest itself as the first symptom of systemic diseases such as sarcoidosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, Behçet’s disease, and other rheumatological conditions. Therefore, EN cases must be carefully examined in terms of their etiologies. Herein, we report an interesting Brucella case presenting as a EN case consulted for rheumatological etiology investigation.