Streptococcus pneumoniae endocarditis presenting as an epidural abscess.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen in many serious infections, such as pneumonia, sinusitis, and meningitis. It uncommonly causes infective endocarditis and only rarely produces spinal epidural abscesses. This report describes a patient who had pneumococcal infection presenting as an acute epidural abscess and who was subsequently found to have endocarditis. S. pneumoniae was cultured from both blood and abscess material. A high level of clinical suspicion of endocarditis is important in all cases of bacteremic pneumococcal illness; patients with such an illness and back pain may harbor potentially catastrophic epidural abscesses.
Clark
R
R
Infectious Diseases Section, Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.
Carlisle
J T
JT
Valainis
G T
GT
D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004824:Epidural Space; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae