Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil

Lemierre syndrome (LS) is a rare, serious infection that is often misdiagnosed, as it frequently mimics common upper respiratory infections. It is even rarer for LS to be preceded by a viral infection. We share a case of LS in a young man who presented to the Emergency Department with COVID-19 viral...

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Main Authors: Pak-Ho Au, Kelechi Nwabara, Nanuli Gvazava, Shannon Ejiofor, Ghulam Ghous
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/2273954
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author Pak-Ho Au
Kelechi Nwabara
Nanuli Gvazava
Shannon Ejiofor
Ghulam Ghous
author_facet Pak-Ho Au
Kelechi Nwabara
Nanuli Gvazava
Shannon Ejiofor
Ghulam Ghous
author_sort Pak-Ho Au
collection DOAJ
description Lemierre syndrome (LS) is a rare, serious infection that is often misdiagnosed, as it frequently mimics common upper respiratory infections. It is even rarer for LS to be preceded by a viral infection. We share a case of LS in a young man who presented to the Emergency Department with COVID-19 viral infection followed by a subsequent LS diagnosis. The patient’s condition initially worsened despite treatments for COVID-19 and was subsequently started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. He was then diagnosed with LS after blood cultures grew Fusobacterium necrophorum, and antibiotics were adjusted accordingly, resulting in improvement of symptoms. Even though LS is often recognized as a sequela of bacterial pharyngitis, preceding viral infections, including COVID-19, might be a risk factor that contributes to the development of LS.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2090-6633
language English
publishDate 2023-01-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
spelling doaj-art-18f6c59cacb34004b45dc0ffc3f4fd6f2025-08-20T03:54:12ZengWileyCase Reports in Infectious Diseases2090-66332023-01-01202310.1155/2023/2273954Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the VeilPak-Ho Au0Kelechi Nwabara1Nanuli Gvazava2Shannon Ejiofor3Ghulam Ghous4University HospitalUniversity HospitalUniversity HospitalUniversity HospitalEllis Fischel Cancer CenterLemierre syndrome (LS) is a rare, serious infection that is often misdiagnosed, as it frequently mimics common upper respiratory infections. It is even rarer for LS to be preceded by a viral infection. We share a case of LS in a young man who presented to the Emergency Department with COVID-19 viral infection followed by a subsequent LS diagnosis. The patient’s condition initially worsened despite treatments for COVID-19 and was subsequently started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. He was then diagnosed with LS after blood cultures grew Fusobacterium necrophorum, and antibiotics were adjusted accordingly, resulting in improvement of symptoms. Even though LS is often recognized as a sequela of bacterial pharyngitis, preceding viral infections, including COVID-19, might be a risk factor that contributes to the development of LS.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/2273954
spellingShingle Pak-Ho Au
Kelechi Nwabara
Nanuli Gvazava
Shannon Ejiofor
Ghulam Ghous
Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
Case Reports in Infectious Diseases
title Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
title_full Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
title_fullStr Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
title_full_unstemmed Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
title_short Lemierre Syndrome: A Diagnosis behind the Veil
title_sort lemierre syndrome a diagnosis behind the veil
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/2273954
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AT shannonejiofor lemierresyndromeadiagnosisbehindtheveil
AT ghulamghous lemierresyndromeadiagnosisbehindtheveil