SUPPURATED THROMBOPHLEBITIS REVEALING A S ALMONELLA-ENTERITIDIS SEPTICEMIA

Background. Non-typloid salmonella can cause septicemia and extradiges tive disorders in immunodepressed adults. These frequent diseases can be life-threatening. Case report. A 76-year-old woman was treated with corticosteroid therapy for 1 year for suppurated thrombophlebitis of the right greater saphenous vein. Weight loss, fever at 41 degrees C a nd Salmonella enterididis isolated from blood cultures and skin sample s led to the diagnosis of septicemia with multiple septic foyers inclu ding the venous endothelium and surrounding soft tissue. Discussion. I n Western countries, there has been an uprise in the frequency of low- grade salmonella infections by food poisoning usually causing acute di arrhea. S. enterididis can also cause severe infectious syndromes with multiple septic localizations, main in patients with a compromised im mune reaction. In our cases, Salmonella enteritidis septecemia was rev ealed by an unusual situation. In the literature, inaugural signs usua lly involve the heart or arteries, but our patient had isolated foyers involving the superficial venous network. This is exceptional especia lly since there was no iatrogenic venous catheter insult. For our pati ent, favoring factors were the long-term corticosteriod therapy and al terated venous network. The portal of entry could not be clearly ident ified but the discovery of a sigmoid diverticulosis would be an argume nt favoring a digestive origin. Medical and surgical management with r esection of the necrosed tissues and two adapted antibiotics in a long -term regimen led to a successful outcome.