[Intestinal perforation caused by Salmonella typhimurium].

BACKGROUND

In most patients, infection with a non-typhoid Salmonella species usually results in self-limiting gastroenteritis. Severe complications such as bacteraemia and extra-abdominal infections are most often attributed to typhoid subspecies like S. typhi and S. paratyphi. In this article, we present the case of a healthy patient with non-typhoid salmonellosis who nevertheless developed severe complications.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 63-year-old man with an unremarkable medical history presented at the emergency department with abdominal complaints suggestive of gastroenteritis. Cultures of faeces and blood yielded S. typhimurium. The infection was complicated by many intra-abdominal abscesses, abdominal sepsis and an intestinal perforation requiring multiple interventions. The patient has been symptom-free for half a year now.

CONCLUSION

Severe complications related to infection with non-typhoid S. typhimurium are rare. The incidence of salmonellosis has risen over the past few years, however; the risk of severe complications has therefore also increased.