Pharyngeal abscess complicated by Lemierre's syndrome: Identification of an atypical germ

Lemierre's syndrome is a rare but serious complication of an oral infection mostly related to Fusobacterium necrophorum. This condition combines jugular vein thrombosis and septic emboli to the lungs or other organs.

We report here an original case of a pharyngeal abscess complicated by Lemierre's syndrome in a young healthy male patient. Samples taken from the pus of the pharyngeal abscess showed the presence of Gardnerella vaginalis associated with Fusobacterium necrophorum. The patient was treated by draining the abscess, antibiotic therapy and preventive anticoagulation for 1 month. The evolution was good with a resolution of the thrombosis.

This case highlights the need for bacterial identification to adapt antibiotic therapy in Lemierre's syndrome. It also shows the possibility of extragenital localization of Gardnerella vaginalis in a male patient having oral sex with women. In contrast to sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis and pharyngeal gonococcus, this oral localization of Gardnerella vaginalis has not been described previously in the literature.