Vertebral infections caused by Haemophilus aphrophilus: case report and review

Objective To review in detail clinical presentation, bacteriologic findings , associated conditions and treatment of Haemophilus aphrophilus vertebral osteomyelitis and to compare them to a case we report herein. Methods A Medline (National Library of Medicine) search of the literature w as performed by using the key words H. aphrophilus, spondylodiscitis, disci tis, and vertebral osteomyelitis. The references of the case reports were e xamined for additional cases, especially those cited in older articles that had nor been entered onto the bibliographic database. Results A case report of spondylodiscitis due to H. aphrophilus in a 35-yea r-old patient with a history of dental abscess 7 months before admission is presented. The patient responded well to treatment with ceftriaxone and ci profloxacin. To date, only 14 cases H. aphrophilus vertebral osteomyelitis have been reported. They are usually reported in middle-aged patients, usua lly male. Most recent cases have been treated with fluoroquinolones. Durati on of treatment usually ranges from 1 to 3 months. Conclusions H. aphrophilus is an uncommon cause of vertebral osteomyelitis. Patients are regularly cured by antibiotic therapy provided that a tissue biopsy is performed in order to isolate the causative bacterium.