Association of mean platelet volume and the monocyte/lymphocyte ratio with brucella-caused epididymo-orchitis

We evaluated the association between the mean platelet volume (MPV) and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) with brucella-caused epididymo-orchitis to determine if they could be used to differentiate between brucella and non-brucella epididymo-orchitis. The charts of 88 patients with non-brucella and 14 patients with brucella epididymo-orchitis were retrospectively reviewed. Brucellosis was diagnosed by isolating Brucella spp from a blood culture or from a serum agglutination titer ≥ 1:160 along with accompanying clinical findings. The patients with brucella epididymo-orchitis were significantly more likely to have a lower MPV and a higher MLR than those with non-brucella epididymo-orchitis. Using a MPV cut-off level of less than 9.25 fl to differentiate brucella from non-brucella epididymo-orchitis gives a sensitivity of 78.6%, a specifity of 78.4%, a positive predictive value of 36.7% and a negative predictive value of 95.8%. Using a MLR cut-off level of greater than 0.265 to differentiate brucella from non-brucella epididymo-orchitis gives a sensitivity of 71.4%, a specifity of 65.9%, a positive predictive value of 25% and a negative predictive value of 93.5.%. MPV and MLR values may assist in differentiating between brucella and non-brucella epididymo-orchitis.