[Aortitis due to Salmonella].

HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS

A 72-year-old man received treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid because of fever and abdominal pain as an outpatient setting. Salmonella enteritidis infection was confirmed by a positive blood culture. The febrile patient showed abdominal tenderness on palpation.

INVESTIGATIONS

CT and PET scans revealed an aneurysmatic soft tissue inflammation which was interpreted as infectious aortitis in the context of salmonella bacteraemia.

TREATMENT AND COURSE

After several weeks of antibiotic treatment with ceftriaxone, an elective reconstruction using xenopericard with replacement of the mesenterial vessels was performed. After a postoperative course of antibiotics the patient recovered completely.

CONCLUSION

In patients with positive blood cultures for Salmonella in combination with fever, back or abdominal pain a workup for infectious aortitis and a rapid treatment is recommended.