Salmonella abscess of the pharynx

Salmonella abscess in the head and neck is an uncommon occurrence. Such abscesses most often present in patients with underlying systemic processes or in those receiving iatrogenic immunosuppression. We report a 53-year-old woman with a retropharyngeal abscess treated with clindamycin and ampicillin. Treatment required surgical debridement and long-term antibiotics. There is a predilection for salmonella to affect tissue having underlying pathology, so that local tissue biopsy and long-term follow-up to document tissue reversions to normal are required.