title: Multifocal discitis caused by Staphylococcus warneri.
abstract: Staphylococcus warneri is a coagulase-negative staphylococcus that is a normal inhabitant of the skin but occasionally causes septicemia and endocarditis. We report a case of multifocal discitis caused by S. warneri in an immunocompetent patient. Only three cases of spinal S. warneri infections have been reported in the literature. They illustrate the atypical clinical presentation, with chronic pain of increasing severity in the thoracic or lumbar spine instead of the abrupt onset that characterizes S. aureus discitis. In our patient, despite the multifocal distribution of the lesions, heretofore unreported, clinical presentation suggested common low back pain. This presentation may be ascribable to the unique bacteriological characteristics of S. warneri. The case reported here illustrates the diagnostic challenges sometime raised by discitis due to coagulase-negative staphylococci.
authors.affiliation: Rheumatology Department, Hôpital de la Conception, 147, boulevard Baille, 13005 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Announ
authors.forename: Jean Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mattei
authors.forename: Sami
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jaoua
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fenollar
authors.forename: Hicham
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sati
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chagnaud
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roudier
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guis
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003030:Coagulase; D015299:Discitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000382:microbiology; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections
chemical_list: D003030:Coagulase