Intervertebral discitis caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae in an adult: Case report

Abstract

H. influenzae is a rare, but treatable cause of discitis.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae Osteomyelitis and Discitis of the Cervical Vertebrae in an Elderly Adult: A Case Report and Literature Review

“…In cases where MRI is contraindicated, such as in claustrophobic patients or due to the presence of implants or metal devices, radionuclide scanning may be preferred instead [19]. Similar to this study, four previous case reports commencing their patients on empirical antibiotics from the penicillin family [5,8,11,12]. However, the majority switched to IV ceftriaxone following organism identification (Table 3).…”

“…The patient we reported had no clear causative factor. Unlike the patient described in the study by Boulton et al who had prior dental procedures, there were no recent surgical procedures done for our patient [12]. No significant travel history or exposure to sick contacts was reported.…”

“…Vertebral osteomyelitis caused by H. influenzae is rare. A systematic review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA chart and yielded 10 reported cases from 1978 to 2012 [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Articles for this review were identified through databases such as PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar without start date restrictions.…”

“…Haemophilus influenzae including H. influenzae serotype b (Hib), is a common bacterium well known to cause ear, throat, lung, and brain infections in children and was a common cause of bone and joint infection in children in the pre-vaccination era [3]. Although there are still reported cases of Hib in children, it is an extremely rare cause of osteomyelitis in adults, especially vertebral osteomyelitis with only eight other cases reported in the literature [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Among these only one case was reported to be caused by a nontypeable strain of Hib and no cases reported isolated involvement of the intervertebral disc.…”

A rare case of invasive non-typeable <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> spondylodiscitis and periprosthetic joint infection

“…Nevertheless, they remain rare, all the more in adults. To our knowledge, it is the fourth reported NTHi-induced spondylodiscitis (Boulton et al, 2012;Personius and Camp, 1997;Van der Ploeg et al, 2008) and the first with epidural abscess and periprosthetic joint infection. This case is remarkable by its initial trigger, its severity, and the lack of patient immunosuppression.…”