Salmonella-induced Aortic Aneurysm, a Case Study

Abstract

<h3>ABSTRACT</h3> <i>Salmonella</i> are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria that are common in warm-blooded animals and can cause disease in humans. Nontyphoidal <i>Salmonellae</i> are a leading cause of bacterial diarrhea worldwide. Nontyphoidal <i>Salmonella</i> infections are usually restricted to the gastrointestinal tract and spontaneously resolve but can develop into invasive infections like bacteremia. The clinical course of nontyphoidal <i>Salmonella</i> bacteremia may be affected by age, immunosuppression, and other factors. Serious disease can result, especially in debilitated, elderly patients and neonates. This is a case study of a 76-year-old female who arrived in the emergency department of a large acute care hospital with fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and signs of dehydration. Blood cultures were positive for Gram-negative rods identified as nontyphoidal <i>Salmonella</i> Group D, and the patient was treated with antibiotic therapy. Low-grade fever continued, and over a period of 2 weeks in the hospital, an abdominal aortic aneurysm developed and ruptured causing the patient’s death. The purpose of this case study is to alert medical professionals to the possibility of mycotic or infectious aortitis as a rare but life-threatening result of <i>Salmonella</i> bacteremia that can lead to aortic aneurysm. If not properly treated with a combination of intensive antibiotic therapy and surgical debridement, with aneurysm repair if necessary, it has a high rate of aortic rupture and death. In this case of <i>Salmonella</i>-induced aortic aneurysm, the possibility of aortic aneurysm was not anticipated and, when found, was not treated surgically, leading to aortic rupture and death of the patient.