Disseminated Salmonella infection associated with secondary seeding of an indwelling central venous catheter during chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infections cause severe disease in immunocompromised individuals and represent a significant clinical problem in the modern era as the number of patients receiving chemotherapy continues to increase. However, as chemotherapeutic regimens have become increasingly diverse in terms of intensity and immunosuppressive effects, applying uniform dietary guidance across all patient populations is challenging, and adequate individualized dietary counseling is not always provided in routine clinical practice. We report a case of disseminated Salmonella infection that occurred during outpatient chemotherapy for a gynecological malignancy. In this case, the infection was presumed to have been acquired through the consumption of fresh confectionery, followed by secondary seeding of an indwelling central venous (CV) port. This subsequently resulted in vertebral osteomyelitis and septic pulmonary embolism. Dietary counseling for patients undergoing chemotherapy should be individualized according to the patient's lifestyle and intensity of chemotherapy. In addition, the CV port should be recognized as an intravascular foreign body that may serve as a potential site for secondary Salmonella infection.