SYSTEMIC INVOLVEMENT IN BRUCELLOSIS

Brucellosis is a widely prevalent zoonotic infection with polymorphic clinical manifestations and frequent multisystem involvement. The intracellular survival of bacteria of the genus Brucella, predominantly within macrophages, allows evasion of the host immune response, promotes chronic inflammation, and leads to progressive damage across multiple organs and systems, including the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, nervous, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, hematologic, respiratory, dermatologic, and visual systems. This review summarizes current evidence on the systemic manifestations and complications of brucellosis, with a focus on osteoarticular involvement, neurobrucellosis, and infective endocarditis as the most clinically significant and potentially disabling forms of the disease. The presented material emphasizes the need for early diagnosis, comprehensive monitoring of autoimmune markers, and investigation of the long-term impact of chronic infection on health.