Unusual manifestations of salmonellosis—a surgical problem

Rom January 1981 to December 1992, of 6250 cases of salmonellosis treated at the Christian Medeical college and Hospital, Vellore, India, 100 patients with focal pyogtenic infection caused by salmonellae required surgical intervention in addition to medical therappy. Thirty-one had involvementof the hepatobiliary system, and 10 more had other intra-abdominal infections. Involvement of bone and joint as well as soft tissue constituted 15% each. The siteof infection in patients with soft tissue abscesses incleded skin (7)Parotid,(2)thyroid, (3)Breast (1)inguinal node(1), Branchialsinus (1) and injectiion site (1). Three patients had arterial infections. Noteworthy among the cases ofgenital infections was one case of salmonella infection in a pre-exiting hydrocele, and one caseofepididymo-orchitis with a loculated salmonella infection. Salmonella infection in a pre-existing ovarian cyst was seen in a patient with endometriosis. The salmonella serotypes most frequently encountered were S. typhi(36) and S.typhimurium(36) andS. paratyphi A (15). The importance of recongnition of these protean manifestations of salmonellosis in an endemic setting isdiscussed. The microbilogical evaluation of properly obtained specimens is mandatory in such unusual Pyogenic infections.