Title:Extensive Multifocal Emphysematous Osteomyelitis of Spine: A Rare
Case and a Review of Literature
Volume: 23
Issue: 1
Author(s): Bhawna Sharma, Vikas Lakhanpal, Abeer Goyal, Ritu Shree, Shashank Raj, Priya Sreenivasan, Manisha Biswal, Pallab Ray and Archana Angrup*
Affiliation:
- Department of Medical Microbiology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Keywords:
Escherichia coli, Corynebacterium amycolatum, enterobacteriaceae, emphysematous, osteomyelitis, spine.
Abstract:
Background: Emphysematous osteomyelitis (EO) is an extremely rare form of osteomyelitis
which is complicated mainly by infection with gas-forming organisms. The common causative
agents of this disease are mainly members of Enterobacteriaceae family, the most common are Escherichia
coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae along with anaerobes. A total of 48 cases of EO have been reported
in the literature till now globally and none have documented the isolation of Corynebacterium
amycolatum.
Case Presentation: We report a rare case of emphysematous osteomyelitis of the spine and pelvis due
to Escherichia coli along with the isolation of Corynebacterium amycolatum from the same pus samples
on two consecutive occasions in a 50-year-old female with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, who
was successively treated with antibiotics and drainage of pus. We also did a brief review of the literature
of all cases reported till now.
Conclusion: The role of Corynebacterium amycolatum in the etiology of emphysematous osteomyelitis
needs to be evaluated further in future studies as we cannot completely ignore its isolation in two
consecutive samples as a mere contaminant.
