Simple Liver Cyst as a Focus ofSalmonella paratyphiAbscess: A Case Report

Abstract

Salmonellosis, endemic in various part of the world, is considered a differential diagnosis in a tropical traveller. Although it usually presents as gastroenteritis, its various clinical syndromes may vary from mild gastroenteritis to severe septicaemia including abscess formation, the later two being the most common cause of morbidity and mortality. Here we present a patient who returned to the UK after an overseas trip and was diagnosed with a pyogenic liver abscess with Salmonella paratyphi at a site of a pre-existing simple liver cyst.

Liver Abscesses as Pseudotumoral Lesions

“…Salmonella abscess of the liver may develop within necrotic hepatic tumor metastases (Modol et al 2006) or hepatocellular carcinoma (Elias et al 1996;Lee et al 2002), in intrahepatic hematoma (Cerwenka et al 1997), via secondary infection of an amoebic liver abscess (Essien et al 1965;Mansharamani et al 1971;Marr and Haff 1971;Jeans and McKendrick 2007), and as a late complication of simple liver cyst infection (Gömceli et al 2006;Sangwaiya et al 2009). Hepatic Salmonella abscess can follow Salmonella cholangitis (Holler and Starlinger 1954) and may be combined with splenic abscesses (Chaudhry et al 2003).…”

First Report of Liver Abscess Caused by Salmonella enterica Serovar Dublin

“…It was thought that the wall of the abscess was thick, and thus it would be difficult for the antibiotic molecules to diffuse into the infection sites. The therapeutic strategy was then shifted to drainage followed by intravenous antibiotics, which had been previously recommended to treat a large (Ͼ3-cm) hepatic abscess (19), which led to rapid and significant improvement, although recovery regressed soon afterwards. This might be due to the presence of a primary hepatocellular carcinoma.…”