PLEUROPULMONARY SALMONELLA INFECTION – A CASE REPORT

Sladjana M Pavic; Aleksandra Pavic; Aleksa Novkovic

doi:10.5937/sanamed0-56327

Sladjana M Pavic General Hospital Uzice, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Uzice, Serbia
Aleksandra Pavic University Clinical Center of Serbia, Center for Radiology, Belgrade, Serbia
Aleksa Novkovic University Clinical Center of Serbia, Center for Nuclear Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5937/sanamed0-56327

Keywords: Salmonella, pleural empyema, negative stool cultures, negative blood cultures.

Abstract

Introduction: Invasive nontyphoidal salmonellosis occurs in 5–10% of all nontyphoidal Salmonella infections, with an increasing trend, even in non-endemic areas. Extraintestinal manifestations may include inflammation or abscess formation in various organs, such as the lungs, meninges, kidneys, testes, muscles, and gallbladder.

Case report: We present the case of a 65-year-old female patient admitted for treatment due to fatigue, dyspnea, and weight loss. She did not report diarrhea or fever, and no epidemiological factors suggested a gastrointestinal infection.
Her medical history included hypertension and long-term heavy cigarette smoking.
A chest X-ray, followed by a CT scan, revealed a pleural effusion, and Salmonella enteritidis was isolated from the pleural fluid. Stool, blood, and urine cultures were negative.
Further diagnostics revealed dilated bile ducts, mild thickening of the gallbladder wall, and chronic gastritis. Laboratory findings indicated an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, leukocytosis with neutropenia, and increased levels of C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone. The clinical course was complicated by an ischemic cerebrovascular accident, but the overall outcome was favorable.

Conclusion: Pulmonary salmonellosis is rare but can occur in the absence of the typical gastrointestinal symptoms associated with Salmonella infection. Early diagnosis is crucial for successful treatment. In this context, prompt microbiological sampling and the initiation of broad-spectrum antibiotics are essential.

Author Biography

Sladjana M Pavic, General Hospital Uzice, Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Uzice, Serbia

Prim. dr sc. med. Sladjana Pavic, specijalista za infektivne i tropske bolesti;

nacelnica odeljenja za infektivne i tropske bolesti OB Uzice;

predsednica Etickog odbora ZC Uzice;

clan Saveta direktora ZC Uzice;

zamenik predsednika Komisije za bolnicke infekcije OB Uzice i clan Komisije za bolnicke infelcije ZC Uzice

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