Fatal Septicemia and Pyomyositis Caused by Salmonella typhi

Purulent infectious myositis (formerly tropical pyomyositis)

Purulent infectious myositis (PIM), formerly known as tropical pyomyositis, is a pyogenic infection of skeletal muscles. Staphylococcus aureus, a normal human skin inhabitant, is the main pathogen involved, but multiple other microorganisms have been implicated. Although usually a progressive febrile disease with pain in the affected muscle(s), severe, life-threatening forms have been described, especially in immunosuppressed patients and children. PIM may elude early diagnosis given the lack of overlying skin changes. Hence, high index of suspicion followed by imaging modalities (ultrasonography when superficial and computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging with contrast when deep) help confirm the diagnosis. Treatment requires combination of percutaneous or open surgical drainage along with antimicrobial therapy guided by culture results. The rising incidence of cases due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains, makes the inclusion of vancomycin be recommended. This paper reviews PIM highlighting its global distribution, causative agents, predisposing factors, management, and potential complications.

Myositis associated with Salmonella paratyphi A bacteremia appears to be common

Background

Fever and severe myalgia in a tropical country like India bring to mind leptospirosis, rickettsioses, dengue, and other viral fevers. Enteric fever is widely prevalent in Asia, but myositis has not been previously described in Salmonella paratyphi A bacteremia.

Materials and Methods

Retrospectively, we recruited patients with enteric fever admitted to our treating unit over a 6-month period. Demography, historical, clinical, and laboratory data were obtained. Data of culture-positive S. paratyphi A patients were analyzed and were compared with those patients with culture-negative enteric fever.

Results

Forty-three cases were found in total with 19 of S. paratyphi A bacteremia. Elevations in creatine kinase (CK) ranged from one-and-half to six times normal. Forty-seven percent had thrombocytopenia and alanine transaminase elevations, while aspartate transaminase elevations were seen in 17 patients, which corresponded to those with elevated CK levels.

Conclusions

Myositis associated with S. typhi and S. paratyphi is very rare and is more often due to non-typhoidal Salmonellae. Elevated creatine kinase was seen in most of our patients with S. paratyphi A bacteremia. Such myositis has not been described previously and hence, myalgia with fever in a tropical country could be a harbinger of paratyphoid fever.

Dry Gangrene in Children with Typhoid Intestinal Perforation: A Report of Two Cases

Intestinal perforation is a life-threatening complication of typhoid fever commonly seen in developing countries, but extraintestinal complications are infrequently reported. We report herein two cases of gangrene seen in children managed for typhoid intestinal perforation, highlighting the challenges faced in their management.

Primary pyomyositis of the paraspinal muscles: a case report and literature review

A case of non-tropical pyomyositis in a healthy, adolescent, 13-year-old boy, affecting the paraspinal muscles is presented. Computerised axial tomography scan (CT scan) of the spine provided valuable information on the nature, extent of the disease and helped to plan successful surgical management. None of the reported cases of such severity of paraspinal pyomyositis had involvement of quadratus lumborum muscle or compression on retroperitoneal organ as in our case.

CAPD-Related Peritonitis due to Salmonella enteritidis in a Patient With SLE

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are prone to various infections, often associated with high mortality. Salmonella species are a rare cause of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) peritonitis, but patients with lupus are susceptible to infection caused by Salmonella species. A 47-year-old woman who had systemic lupus erythematosus with end-stage renal disease and was undergoing CAPD presented with fever, watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, and turbid dialysate effluent. The effluent culture yielded Salmonella enteritidis. Although she was administered antibiotics to which the organism was susceptible in vitro, peritonitis was not cured. Her clinical condition stabilized after removal of the Tenckhoff catheter and prolonged antibiotic use. In Salmonella-related CAPD peritonitis, early catheter removal may be necessary to achieve complete treatment.

Problem pathogens: extra-intestinal complications of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi infection

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica seroptype Typhi (S typhi), has an estimated worldwide prevalence of 12-33 million cases. The pathogenesis of this disease depends on the ingested inoculum size of S typhi, the virulence of the strain, the host's immune response and previous exposure, and local protective factors. Numerous extra-intestinal complications can occur with S typhi infection, including the involvement of the central nervous system (3-35%), cardiovascular system (1-5%), pulmonary system (1-86%), bone and joints (< or =1%), hepatobiliary system (1-26%), genitourinary system (<1%), and others. Due to an increase in multidrug-resistant S typhi, fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins have been increasingly used for typhoid fever and its complications. We describe the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, and treatment of extra-intestinal S typhi infections.