lktA-encoded leukotoxin is not a universal virulence factor in invasive Fusobacterium necrophorum infections in animals and man Fusobacterium necrophorum is a Gramnegative non-spore-forming anaerobic rod that is an important primary and secondary pathogen in humans and farm animals (Brazier, 2002; Narayanan et al., 2002). F. necrophorum is divided into two subspecies, F. necrophorum subsp. necrophorum and F. necrophorum subsp. funduliforme. The former is more frequently encountered in animal infections and is more virulent in a mouse model of infection than the latter, the main human pathogen (Brazier, 2002; Smith & Thornton, 1993).
Presented here is the case of a 27-year-old male with atypical features of Lemierre's syndrome in which a definitive diagnosis was achieved using molecular methods. While routine investigations, including bacterial cultures, were unhelpful, two real-time PCR assays demonstrated Fusobacterium necrophorum-specific DNA in aspirates from brain and renal abscesses. This is the first report demonstrating that a laboratory diagnosis can be made using molecular methods in suspected cases of Lemierre's syndrome. Use of these methods can thus resolve diagnostic confusion, prevent unnecessary investigation, and direct specific antimicrobial treatment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.