MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT PNEUMOCOCCUS CAUSING VERTEBRAL OSTEOMYELITIS

Primary vertebral osteomyelitis is a rare presentation of pneumococcal infection especially in an asymptomatic patient with no primary focus of infection. This report describes a patient who presented with lowe r back pain in which the magnetic resonance imaging showed little evid ence of L1 and L2 vertebral body destruction. Cultures from these vert ebral bodies grew penicillin and third-generation resistant pneumococc us. The patient was treated successfully with 6 weeks of vancomycin an d rifampin.