Bilateral acute suppurative parotitis due to Staphylococcus aureus: an hospital acquired case with fatal outcome

During recent decades, acute bacterial parotitis has progressively changed its etiological and clinical spectrum. New risk factors and causative agents are emerging, while the associated rates of complications and mortality may remain still significant. A rare case of concurrent bilateral suppurative parotitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus has been observed in a patient hospitalized for prior abdominal surgery and multiple underlying illnesses. The disease had a complicated and ultimately fatal outcome, despite a timely diagnosis being made and a specific treatment started. A literature review dealing with risk factors, microbiology, clinical picture, complications, differential diagnosis, treatment and outcome of suppurative parotitis is presented.