TITLE:
Spondylodiscitis Caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae Subspecies Equisimilis: A Case Report of an Increasingly Recognized Pathogenic Organism
AUTHORS:
Sara Beça, Sandra Xerinda, António Sarmento
KEYWORDS:
Spondylodiscitis; Vertebral Osteomyelitis; Streptococcus dysgalactiae Subspecies Equisimilis; Diabetes Mellitus
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.4 No.1,
March
4,
2014
ABSTRACT: Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis (SDSE) is a β-hemolytic Streptococcus that possesses genetic and clinical similarities to Streptococcus pyogenes. It is
increasingly recognized as the etiological microorganism of invasive diseases.
We report a case of a 74-year-old male who was admitted to this hospital with
lower back and neck pain and infected with leg ulcer. The diagnosis of spondylodiscitis C2-C3 and L1-L3 caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis was made. The present case
demonstrates the risk of older patients of developing invasive disease upon
skin infection with Streptococcus
dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, even when risk factors are absent or well controlled (as was diabetes mellitus
in this case), suggesting that the pathogenic potential of SDSE should not be
underestimated.