Citation Information :
Sarkar S, Pathak A, Roy N, Sonthalia N, Bhar A, Dasgupta A. An Unusual Case of Painful Swelling in the Neck. Bengal Physician Journal 2021; 8 (3):74-75.
Lemierre's syndrome: More than a historic curiosa, a prepenicillin era illness characterized by disseminated abscess and thrombophlebitis of internal jugular vein after infection of the oropharynx. The predominant pathogen is a gram-negative anaerobic bacillus Fusobacterium necrophorum. A prompt clinical diagnosis is of utmost importance for a favorable prognosis in the management of this patient. Here we present a case of Lemierre's syndrome in a middle-aged uncontrolled diabetic male where the unusual and atypical clinical manifestation posed a mounting challenge in the diagnosis of this case. And, the peculiarity in this case was that the causative organism was Klebsiella pneumoniae that is not known to cause Lemierre's syndrome typically. To date, only a few other cases have been reported where the organism was K. pneumoniae.
Jimenez Y, Bagan JV, Murillo J, et al. Odontogenic infections, complications and systemic manifestations. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2004;9:S139–S147. PMID: 15580132.
Ramirez S, Hild TG, Rudolph CN, et al. Increased diagnosis of Lemierre syndrome and other Fusobacterium necrophorum infections at a Children's Hospital. Pediatrics 2003;112(5):e380. DOI: 10.1542/peds.112.5.e380.
Chirinos JA, Lichtstein DM, Garcia J, et al. The evolution of Lemierre syndrome: report of 2 cases and review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 2002;81(6):458–465. DOI: 10.1097/00005792-200211000-00006.
Golpe R, Marin B, Alonso M. Lemierre's syndrome (Necrobacillosis). Postgrad Med J 1999;75(881):141–144. DOI: 10.1136/pgmj.75. 881.141.
Peleg AY, Weerarathna T, McCarthy JS, et al. Common infections in diabetes: pathogenesis, management and relationship to glycaemic control. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2007;23(1):3–13. DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.682.
Alves C, Andion J, Brandão M, et al. Pathogenic aspects of the periodontal disease associated to diabetes mellitus. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab 2007;51(7):1050–1057. DOI: 10.1590/s0004-27302007000700005.
Nagasawa T, Noda M, Katagiri S, et al. Relationship between periodontitis and diabetes importance of a clinical study to prove the vicious cycle. Intern Med 2010;49(10):881–885. DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.49.3351.
Simpson TC, Needleman I, Wild SH, et al. Treatment of periodontal disease for glycaemic control in people with diabetes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2010;5:CD004714. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004714.pub2.
Peleg AY, Weerarathna T, McCarthy JS, et al. Common infections in diabetes: pathogenesis, management and relationship to glycaemic control. Diabetes Metab Res Rev 2007;23(1):3–13. DOI: 10.1002/dmrr.682.
Lin JC, Chang FY, Fung CP, et al. High prevalence of phagocytic-resistant capsular serotypes of Klebsiella pneumoniae in liver abscess. Microbes Infect 2004;6(13):1191–1198. DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2004. 06.003.
Goldenhagen J, Alford BA, Prewitt LH, et al. Suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein: report of three cases and review of the pediatric literature. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1988;7(6):410–414. DOI: 10.1097/00006454-198806000-00008.
