Pappas Georgios, Papadimitriou Photini
Institute of Continuing Medical Education of Ioannina (ICMEI), Greece.
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2007 Nov;30 Suppl 1:S29-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2007.06.011. Epub 2007 Aug 13.
Brucella possesses unique historical, epidemiological, phylogenetic and pathogenetic characteristics that constantly reinforce the pathogen's place at the epicentre of scientific interest. One such unique characteristic is the significance of bacteraemia in the course of the disease. Bacteraemia in brucellosis may be periodically present, of limited practical diagnostic importance, and of doubtful significance as an index of bacteriological cure. On the other hand, recognition of bacteraemia augments prognosis, typing and biotyping (and thus further research). Recent advances in molecular diagnosis with the help of real time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR) have shown that bacteraemia in brucellosis may persist, at culture non-detectable levels, for protracted periods even after apparent clinical cure. This raises important issues for future research, implying that the pathogen may actually be non-eradicable.
布鲁氏菌具有独特的历史、流行病学、系统发育和致病特征，这些特征不断强化了该病原体在科学研究兴趣中心的地位。其中一个独特特征是菌血症在疾病过程中的重要性。布鲁氏菌病中的菌血症可能会周期性出现，实际诊断意义有限，作为细菌学治愈指标的意义也值得怀疑。另一方面，菌血症的识别有助于预后判断、分型和生物分型（从而推动进一步研究）。借助实时聚合酶链反应（rtPCR）的分子诊断最新进展表明，即使在明显临床治愈后，布鲁氏菌病中的菌血症仍可能在培养检测不到的水平持续很长时间。这为未来研究提出了重要问题，意味着该病原体实际上可能无法根除。
