Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia complicating herpes simplex virus type 1 stomatitis: Case report and review of the literature

Dror S. Shouval*, Efraim Bilavsky, Yaron Avitzur, Rivka Shapiro, Jacob Amir

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Gingivostomatitis is a common clinical manifestation of primary herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in children. The most common complication of herpetic gingivostomatitis is dehydration; rarely, it may be complicated by secondary bacteremia, and Kingella kingae and group A Streptococcus infections have been reported to be responsible for such episodes. Methods: We describe the clinical course of a 4.5-year-old girl several years after a liver transplantation, who presented with high fever, vesicular lesions in the buccal region, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Results: Viral culture from the vesicles grew HSV-1, whereas blood culture and bacterial culture from the vesicles grew methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus with identical antibiogram. Serology against HSV-1 confirmed a recent infection. The child was treated with cephalexin and improved gradually. Conclusions: Herpetic lesions of the oral mucosa might serve as a port of entry for pathogens including Staphylococcus aureus. Pediatricians and dentists should be aware of bacterial complications in children with herpetic stomatitis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)376-378
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Periodontology
Volume79
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2008

Keywords

  • Bacteremia
  • HSV-1
  • Pathogenesis
  • Staphylococcus
  • Stomatitis

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