Cor Vasa 2010, 52(1-2):67-70 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2010.013

Infection of the aorta and great arteries by Salmonella enteritidis

Jiří Moláček^1,*, Karel Houdek¹, Jan Baxa², Bohuslav Čertík¹, Vladislav Třeška¹

¹ Chirurgická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň, Lékařská fakulta v Plzni Univerzity Karlovy v Praze

² Radiodiagnostická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Plzeň, Plzeň, Česká republika

While, in some rare cases, aneurysms of the abdominal aorta or another great artery may be caused by an infectious agent, in other cases, secondary infection may develop in a preexisting aneurysm or even in a non-dilated artery (most often, the aorta or a branch thereof). These cases are invariably very serious and life-threatening. A typical infectious agent with particular affinity to the abdominal aorta is Salmonella enteritidis. The authors present three case reports with the aorta or another great artery infected by this particular Gram-negative bacterium. They discuss the pitfalls of these rare conditions, their diagnosis and, most importantly, therapeutic options.

Keywords: Infectious aneurysm; Infectious aortitis; Salmonella enteritidis; Management of mycotic aneurysms§

Published: January 1, 2010  Show citation