SUPPURATIVE ACINETOBACTER-BAUMANII THYROIDITIS WITH BACTEREMIC PNEUMONIA - CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW

Suppurative thyroiditis is rare, and the major pathogens are Staphyloc occus and Streptococcus species. We present a case caused by Acinetoba cter baumanii, which has never before been reported. We review another 191 cases from the English-language literature (1980 to April 1997) a nd make a comparison with a review of 224 cases (1900-1980). As the nu mbers of immunocompromised patients increase, cases of suppurative thy roiditis are increasing. Pneumocystis carinii has become an important pathogen. Most patients (83.1%) with bacterial infections were euthyro id, whereas those with fungal or mycobacterial infections tended to be hypothyroid (62.5%) and hyperthyroid (50%), respectively.