Salmonella liver abscess: an unusual complication of typhoid fever with hepatitis: a coinfection

Abstract

Typhoid fever continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity particularly in children and adolescent in developing countries due to poor sanitation and lack of safe drinking water facilities.Even in antibiotic era, complications of typhoid fever continue to be a common problem due to many factors like inadequate treatment, delayed presentation, drug resistance and associated morbidity. Hepatic involvement in typhoid fever is common in children, but liver abscess due to Salmonella species is rare. We hereby present a case of a 5-year-old Indian female child who was initially managed as acute viral hepatitis (hepatitis-A IgM positive). However, persistence of fever and pain abdomen led to the diagnosis of liver abscess on ultrasound. Blood culture and aspirate of the abscess grew salmonella typhi. She was adequately managed with intravenous antibiotics leading to complete resolution of the abscess.