The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2012 , Vol 54 , Num 5
Lemierre’s Syndrome: A Sinister Sore Throat Every Clinician Should Remember
Department of Pediatrics, St. Richard’s Hospital, Chichester, United Kingdom. E-mail: siba_paul@yahoo.co.uk
Fusobacterium necrophorum is an anaerobic gram-negative bacterium that can
present as a painful sore throat. Although uncommon, clinicians need to
be aware of this condition as this can present a diagnostic challenge, with
the initial symptoms being non-specific followed by a fulminant course. We
present the case of a previously healthy girl who presented with a sore
throat but later developed a full-fledged picture of Lemierre’s disease. She
developed bilateral pleural effusion and internal jugular venous thrombosis
and needed intensive care management, a prolonged course of intravenous
antibiotics and anticoagulation therapy.
Keywords :
Lemierre’s disease, sore throat, internal jugular vein thrombosis, ultrasound.