A Case of Cervical Abscess Caused by Salmonella Enteritidis after Intestinal Infection

Abstract

Salmonella Enteritidis often causes food poisoning. In this study, an extremely rare case of cervical abscess caused by S. Enteritidis is reported. In January 2003, a 44-year-old man visited our hospital with swelling of the left submandibular region. He had been suffering from a severe diabetic condition but had neglected to seek medical attention. An incision was made at the abscess to drain the pus from which only S. Enteritidis was isolated. This finding led to the discovery that he had suffered from an episode of food poisoning 6 months earlier. However, the organism was not isolated from the stool. The patient recovered with the administration of panipenem/betamipron and gatifloxacin. The S. Enteritidis strain isolated from the pus obtained from this case and that detected from the samples originating from the other patients during the episode of food poisoning 6 months earlier were examined by using pulse-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE patterns of the strains were almost identical. The molecular epidemiological analysis by PFGE was useful in estimating the infection route. In an immuno-compromised host such as those suffering from diabetes mellitus, one must be reminded that unusual bacteria (including S. Enteritidis) may cause a cervical abscess.