Primary osteomyelitis of the sternum due to Salmonella hirschfeldii

The case of a 71 year-old man with primary osteomyelitis of the sternum caused by Salmonella hirschfeldii is reported. The diagnosis was confirmed by culture, the bony defect was curetted to remove all dead bone and the patient was successfully treated with 6 weeks of high-dose ampicillin (2 g q6h). The treatment is particularly important because inadequate treatment may result in death and overtreatment may cause deformity and instability of the chest wall. Primary osteomyelitis of the sternum is a rare entity and this is apparently the first such case to be reported in the English literature.