Salmonella Urosepsis Complicated by Metastatic Osteomyelitis of the Chest Wall

Although tens of thousands of Salmonella infections occur annually in this country, most involve the gastrointestinal tract with involvement of the urinary tract being quite infrequent.1-3 I would like to report a case of urosepsis due to Salmonella with eventual development of metastatic osteomyelitis of a rib that proved refractory to treatment. A 59-year-old Latin American male who resided in the Texas Rio Grande Valley presented to an emergency room with inability to void, having first noted a decreased urinary stream and dribbling a few months earlier. In-and-out bladder catheterization yielded 700 cc of urine, and he was sent out on co-trimoxazole one double-strength tablet twice daily. The patient returned within several hours, again unable to void, and a Foley catheter was inserted draining 1100 cc of urine. The patient was admitted for further evaluation. Past history was notable for long-standing inflammatory arthritis treated with injectable gold, hydroxychloroquine and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. He had previously undergone left shoulder replacement and synovectomy of both knees. Diabetes mellitus was diagnosed 6 years earlier and treated with oral hypoglycemic agents. The patient denied any gastrointestinal complaints. Examination was notable for a temperature of 102.4 degreesF and obvious sequelae of long-standing rheumatoid arthritis. The abdomen was entirely benign, but rectal examination revealed an enlarged, nontender prostate. White blood cell count was 11,200/mm3. Urinalysis revealed 10-12 white blood cells per high power field and 15-20 red blood cells per high power field. Two blood cultures from admission grew Salmonella species sensitive to all antibiotics. Urine cultured at the time of admission remained sterile. The patient was treated initially with tobramycin and ciprofloxacin and was changed to ceftriaxone 1 g intravenously every 12 hr when the Salmonella was identified. Ultrasound examination confirmed an enlarged prostate but disclosed no ureteral or renal abnormalities. Intravenous pyelogram also revealed the enlarged prostate but was otherwise unremarkable. On the ninth hospital day a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) was performed with histologic evidence of abscesses containing acute inflammatory cells in the resected tissue. The tissue itself was culture negative. He gradually defervesced and completed a 14-day course of parenteral therapy. The patient did well for about 6 months at which point he developed anterior chest wall pain for which he applied a heating pad. A second degree burn developed which ulcerated and began to drain. Culture revealed Salmonella species with a similar sensitivity pattern as the previous isolate. Local care as well as courses of oral ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol failed to eradicate the drainage. The patient underwent surgical excision of the sinus tract 11 months after the initial bacteremia. Surgical specimens again grew Salmonella. Unfortunately, neither this nor the previous chest wall isolate was saved for further analysis. The area continued to drain and bone scan was consistent with osteomyelitis of the left sixth rib. Ceftriaxone 2 g intravenously per day was begun. The following month (16 months after the initial bacteremia) the patient underwent extensive debridement of the anterior chest wall with removal of the sixth and seventh ribs, and closure via a pectoralis myocutaneous flap. Forty-eight hours postoperatively, the patient suffered an acute myocardial infarction and expired. Postmortem revealed severe coronary artery disease. No additional focus of Salmonella infection was found.