Acute Epiglottitis Due to Serratia marcescens in an Immunocompetent Adult

Abstract Acute epiglottitis (AE) is inflammation of the epiglottis and contiguous tissues, which carries a potential for complete airway obstruction. With routine pediatric immunization for Hemophilus influenzae serotype b, epiglottitis is now more prevalent in adults, with a shift in the causative...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of the medical sciences 2012-08, Vol.344 (2), p.153-154
Main Authors: Musham, Chaitanya K., MD, Jarathi, Archana, MD, Agarwal, Abhishek, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacteremia
Bacteremia - complications
Bacteremia - microbiology
Bacterial diseases
Bacterial sepsis
Biological and medical sciences
Epiglottis
Epiglottitis
Epiglottitis - microbiology
Fasciitis
Fatal Outcome
Female
General aspects
Hemophilus influenzae
Human bacterial diseases
Humans
Immunization
Immunocompetence
Immunocompromised hosts
Infectious diseases
Inflammation
Internal Medicine
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Myositis
Nosocomial infection
Opportunist infection
Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology
Pathogens
Pediatrics
Respiratory tract
Saprophytes
Serotypes
Serratia
Serratia Infections - complications
Serratia marcescens
Serratia marcescens - isolation & purification
Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology
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Summary:Abstract Acute epiglottitis (AE) is inflammation of the epiglottis and contiguous tissues, which carries a potential for complete airway obstruction. With routine pediatric immunization for Hemophilus influenzae serotype b, epiglottitis is now more prevalent in adults, with a shift in the causative organisms and a change in the natural history of this disease. Over the past 5 decades, Serratia marcescens has gone from being recognized as a harmless saprophyte to an important opportunistic human pathogen. It is known to be associated with outbreaks of nosocomial infections, but it is an uncommon cause of serious invasive infections in patients presenting from the community. The authors present a fatal case of AE caused by S marcescens in a previously immunocompetent 58-year-old woman, which was complicated by fasciitis, myositis and bacteremia. To the authors’ knowledge, till date, only 3 cases of AE by S marcescens have been reported, all in immunocompromised patients.
ISSN:0002-9629
1538-2990
DOI:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e31824dd1df