Splenic abscess with Vibrio cholerae masking pancreatic cancer.
A 77-year-old man presented to our hospital with a clinical scenario suspicious for endocarditis with septic emboli to the lungs and splenic abscess. Vibrio cholerae was isolated from purulent material aspirated from the abscess. Medical therapy and percutaneous drainage of the abscess were unsuccessful. The patient underwent splenectomy and distal pancreatectomy revealing a pancreatic tail carcinoma involving the spleen and colon. The patient later expired secondary to metastatic disease. This case represents the first isolation of V. cholerae from a splenic abscess but also illustrates that although newer imaging technologies have made the diagnosis of splenic abscess easier, the true etiology of the abscess may remain elusive.
Cavuoti
Dominick
D
Department of Pathology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA.
Fogli
Michael
M
Quinton
Reade
R
Gander
Rita M
RM
Southern
Paul M
PM
D000038:Abscess / Q000382:microbiology*; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002771:Cholera / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013154:Spleen; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000302:isolation & purification*