Related Experiment Videos
Serratia marcescens lung abscess in a child with autoimmune neutropenia
M Mizota1, K Kawakami, O Ijichi
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Japan.
Abstract:
Though Serratia marcescens is widely known to be the cause of serious infections in immunocompromised hosts, a lung abscess caused by S. marcescens is very rare. A 5 year old boy who had previously been diagnosed with autoimmune neutropenia was admitted because of fever and cough. In spite of treatment with some antibiotics, he developed a lung abscess. Aspiration of the pleural fluid revealed that S. marcescens was the pathogen of the disease. In the present case, there were feasible risk factors for the development of Serratia lung abscess namely neutropenia, chronic gingivitis at the time, and treatment with cyclosporin A. There are no reported cases of autoimmune neutropenia which developed into S. marcescens lung abscess in the literature as far as we can determine.
Insights
A rare lung abscess caused by Serratia marcescens occurred in a 5-year-old boy with autoimmune neutropenia. This case highlights potential risk factors and underscores the rarity of such infections in immunocompromised patients.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatric Medicine
- Microbiology
Background:
- Serratia marcescens is a known opportunistic pathogen, typically causing infections in immunocompromised individuals.
- Lung abscesses are uncommon manifestations of S. marcescens infections, particularly in pediatric cases.
- Autoimmune neutropenia is a condition characterized by low neutrophil counts, increasing susceptibility to infections.
Observation:
- A 5-year-old boy with a history of autoimmune neutropenia presented with fever and cough.
- Despite antibiotic treatment, the patient developed a lung abscess.
- Aspiration of pleural fluid identified Serratia marcescens as the causative agent.
Findings:
- This case represents a rare instance of Serratia marcescens-induced lung abscess in a pediatric patient with autoimmune neutropenia.
- Identified risk factors included neutropenia, concurrent chronic gingivitis, and cyclosporine A treatment.
- No prior literature reports link autoimmune neutropenia directly to Serratia lung abscess development.
Implications:
- This case expands the understanding of rare S. marcescens infections in pediatric populations.
- It emphasizes the importance of considering unusual pathogens in immunocompromised children with persistent infections.
- The findings suggest that neutropenia, gingivitis, and immunosuppressive therapy can be significant risk factors for Serratia lung abscess.