Salmonella enteritidis Phlegmon in an Elderly Female: A Case Report

Salmonella enteritidis is an individual serotype of S. enterica which can cause gastroenteritis in humans. In the case of a mild primary infection, bacteremia and phlegmon, as well as other types of extraintestinal Salmonella infection, may go undiagnosed. A 64-year-old female presents with a one-week history of fatigue, fever, and low back pain. She recently noticed a progressively growing mass in her lower back, along with swelling and redness of the surrounding skin. The patient is a nursing home resident who has been immobilized since a fall one month before the presentation. The bacterial culture of discharge from the infected area was found to be positive for S. enteritidis, and the diagnosis of the torso phlegmon was made. The patient underwent surgical removal of the phlegmon and clinically improved after post-operative treatment. After evaluating geographic location, time of the year, and host factors such as relative immobility, extremes of age, and immunosuppressive conditions, S. enteritidis should be considered in a differential diagnosis of torso phlegmon.