Fusobacterium necrophorum--beyond Lemierres syndrome

Fusobacterium necrophorum is a non-sporulating anaerobic gram negative bacillus and has traditionally been associated with Lemierre's syndrome. The authors report a 34-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with a week's history of dull epigastirc pain. Significant medical history included chronic pancreatitis secondary to alcohol use. The patient had radiological evidence of acute on chronic pancreatitis with thrombosis of the portal vein and multiple intrahepatic abscesses. CT-guided drainage of left upper quadrant revealed fluid collection in the pancreatic bed. The fluid culture grew F necrophorum and the patient was treated with tigecycline for 4 weeks. The patient improved symptomatically and his follow-up computerised axial tomography scan 2 months later showed resolving liver abscess, cavernous transformation of the portal vein and stable findings of chronic pancreatitis. This could represent an infection of the peripancreatic tissue with F necrophorum further leading to pylephlebitis.