<i>Salmonella enterica</i> Subspecies <i>arizonae</i> Detected from Bilateral Pleural Fluid in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Malignant Lymphoma

Abstract

A 72-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with bilateral pleural effusions. She had a 31-year history of systemic lupus erythematosus and had been treated with prednisolone and azathioprine. Pleural fluid culture revealed Salmonella enterica subsp. arizonae infection. This pathogen rarely infects humans but is commonly found in the gut flora of reptiles, especially snakes. Our patient had not come in contact with reptiles. Despite antibiotic therapies and negative pleural cultures, the pleural effusion persisted. Colon cancer was detected concomitantly, and she finally died. The autopsy revealed that the pleuritis was due to underlying diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Prevalence and risk factors of Salmonella Spp in ovine flocks in the central region of Algeria

“…Most disease cases caused by Salmonella arizonae have been reported in animals. Although human cases caused by this organism are extremely rare, it can infect the immunocompromised, rarely immunocompetent patients and young infants (Suresh and Leigh, 2020), leading to a series of complications, such as endocarditis (Starakis, 2007), pleurisy (Shima et al, 2020), pyelonephritis (Nishioka et al, 2017), sinusitis, mastoiditis (Gavrilovici et al, 2017), peritonitis, gastroenteritis, osteomyelitis, meningitis, skin infection, septic arthritis, sepsis, and mortality of infants (Lamas et., al 2018).…”

“…Indeed, according to Brugère-Picoux and Le floc'hSoye (2014), Salmonella carriers are represented by wild and domestic animals, wild birds and poultry, insects as well as reptiles that frequently harbor Salmonella enteric subsp. arizonae in their intestines (Shima et al, 2020).…”