Apparently, this was a chronic disease and may have contributed to her longstanding withdrawal.
Symptoms vary, especially in the early stages.
Onset may be sudden and acute, with chills and fever, severe headache, pains, malaise, and occasionally diarrheal or it may be insidious, with mild prodromal malaise, muscular pain, headache, and pain in the back of the neck, followed by a rise in evening temperature. The total WBC count usually is normal or reduced, with a relative or absolute lymphocytosis. In the morning, when profuse sweating occurs. In some patients, fever may be only transient. Patients with acute, uncomplicated brucellosis usually recover in 2 to 3 wk.