Infection of a pacemaker by Brucella melitensis.

We report a case that, to the best of our knowledge, is the only published instance of infection of a pacemaker and its leads by Brucella melitensis. Furthermore, this case suggests that B. melitensis may be able to persist around pacemaker devices despite its having been eliminated from the rest of the body. The patient was a sheep shearer who had just undergone a 45-day course of antibiotic therapy for brucella and had been considered cured on the basis of negative blood cultures.