[Spondylodiscitis caused by Fusobacterium nucleatum. Apropos of a case]

Spondylodiscitis is rarely caused by anaerobic germs and occurs mainly in patients weakened by another infection. We report a case of Fusobacterium nucleatum spondylodiscitis in a 63-year-old man. This is the third such report and the second in a non-immunodepressed patient. The clinical presentation and laboratory findings in this type of spondylodiscitis vary little from those produced by other germs. Magnetic resonance imaging is the most useful diagnostic tool for spondylodiscitis. The germ is isolated from a discal puncture aspirate in 66% of the cases but can also be obtained from blood cultures. Anaerobic germs are usually sensitive to penicillin or cephalosporins.