Isolation of Brucella melitensis from an abscess on the left foot of a 3-year-old infant.

An unusual case of a 3-year-old girl with a brucellar foot abscess is reported. Although direct microscopic examination of samples from the lesion did not reveal micro-organisms of any kind, a 7 day culture of caseous material yielded small colonies of Gram-negative cocobacilli in Löwenstein-Jensen medium. These were biochemically and molecularly identified as Brucella melitensis. The possibility of foot abscess being caused by Brucella should be considered in countries where brucellosis is endemic.