Shigella bacteremia in a patient with visceral leishmaniasis.
Bacteremia due to Shigella is rare. A 26-year-old HIV-negative male presented with a persistent high-grade fever of two months duration to the Leishmaniasis Research and Treatment Center of University of Gondar Hospital. He was anorexic and had lost significant weight (from 76 to 57 kg in 4 months, BMI = 17.2 kg/m(2)). He also complained of headache, chills, and rigor. In the last one year, he was experiencing a few episodes of acute bloody diarrhea, the last episode being two months ago. Microscopy from splenic aspiration showed Leishman-Donovan bodies with parasite load of +3. The blood culture showed Shigella species, but the stool was culture negative. The isolate was sensitive to most tested antibiotic discs, sulfamethoxazole, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, tetracycline, and norfloxacilin, except ampicillin. Therefore, requesting blood culture for identifying unexpected type of organisms causing infections in patients with underlying diseases like visceral leishmaniasis should be encouraged.
School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Mengistu
0000-0003-4417-2085
M
Endris
Leishmanaisis Research and Treatment Center, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Rezika
R
Mohammed
Leishmanaisis Research and Treatment Center, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Yegnasew
Y
Takele
School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Desalegn
D
Woldeyohannes
School of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Moges
M
Tiruneh
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Gondar, P.O. Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia ; Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Ermias
E
Diro