A rare case of Salmonella Paratyphi C osteomyelitis: A genetic analysis and review of Salmonella osteomyelitis in England

Abstract

Salmonella osteomyelitis is rare in patients without sickling hemoglobinopathies. Invasive disease caused by Salmonella Paratyphi C is rarer still with only one case reported in the United Kingdom in the last 15 years. We report a case of relapsing S. Paratyphi C osteomyelitis in a newly diagnosed diabetic patient from Ghana. Our patient was initially treated successfully with surgical debridement followed by 6 weeks of IV ceftriaxone before recrudescence 9 months later. Due to the rarity of S. Paratyphi C and the lack of recent travel, genomic analysis was undertaken to assess possible sources with the closest related strain being from Cote d'Ivoire. The patient had likley picked up the strain several years before presentation. We review current Salmonella osteomyelitis literature and audit all cases referred to the England and Wales Salmonella national reference laboratory over the last 15 years.

Keywords: Paratyphi C; Salmonella; genomics; osteomyelitis.