Cellulitis resulting from infection by Haemophilus influenzae type b: report of two cases

Abstract

Cellulitis resulting from infection by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is uncommon but may be a characteristic of such infection. Especially in the post-Hib vaccine era, such infection represents a potentially life-threatening infectious process due to the relatively high incidence of accompanying bacteremia and meningitis. Here, we report on two apparently previously healthy children who developed Hib cellulitis, one of whom revealed lower-leg cellulitis while the other exhibited buccal cellulitis associated with an oral ulcer. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no formal reports pertaining to buccal cellulitis following infection by Hib yet published in Taiwan, and reports of Hib cellulitis of the extremities still appear to be rare, hence we report on these two cases.