Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cause significant disease; treatment is supportive and antibiotic use is controversial. Ciprofloxacin but not fosfomycin causes Shiga toxin-encoding bacteriophage induction and enhanced Shiga toxin (Stx) production from E. coli O157:H7 in vitro. The potential clinical relevance of this was examined in mice colonized with E. coli O157:H7 and given either ciprofloxacin or fosfomycin. Both antibiotics caused a reduction in fecal STEC. However, animals treated with ciprofloxacin had a marked increase in free fecal Stx, associated with death in two-thirds of the mice, whereas fosfomycin did not. Experiments that used a kanamycin-marked Stx2 prophage demonstrated that ciprofloxacin, but not fosfomycin, caused enhanced intraintestinal transfer of Stx2 prophage from one E. coli to another. These observations suggest that treatment of human STEC infection with bacteriophage-inducing antibiotics, such as fluoroquinolones, may have significant adverse clinical consequences and that fluoroquinolone antibiotics may enhance the movement of virulence factors in vivo.

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We report the case of a critically ill patient with Lemierre syndrome. Lemierre syndrome is characterized by septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and metastatic abscesses in different organs, most frequently in the lungs. The disease usually occurs in young, previously healthy individuals. Most cases are caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, an anaerobic gram-negative rod. Oropharyngeal infection occurring 2–3 weeks prior to septicemia is a harbinger of the syndrome. Frequently oropharyngeal symptoms and local signs are absent at the time of presentation. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck with contrast is the most helpful diagnostic study to identify internal jugular vein thrombosis. Treatment involves a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics with anaerobic coverage. It is important for an intensivist to keep this syndrome in mind, especially when dealing with a young, otherwise healthy patient with sepsis. Mortality is high if the disease is not diagnosed and treated promptly. The syndrome is rare in the antibiotic era, therefore a high index of suspicion is essential.

We report the case of a critically ill patient with Lemierre syndrome. Lemierre syndrome is characterized by septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and metastatic abscesses in different organs, most frequently in the lungs. The disease usually occurs in young, previously healthy individuals. Most cases are caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, an anaerobic gram‐negative rod. Oropharyngeal infection occurring 2–3 weeks prior to septicemia is a harbinger of the syndrome. Frequently oropharyngeal symptoms and local signs are absent at the time of presentation. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck with contrast is the most helpful diagnostic study to identify internal jugular vein thrombosis. Treatment involves a prolonged course of intravenous antibiotics with anaerobic coverage. It is important for an intensivist to keep this syndrome in mind, especially when dealing with a young, otherwise healthy patient with sepsis. Mortality is high if the disease is not diagnosed and treated promptly. The syndrome is rare in the antibiotic era, therefore a high index of suspicion is essential.