Salmonella neck abscess as an opportunistic infection in diabetes mellitus.

[pyomyositis]

Salmonella neck infections represent an uncommon cause of focal salmonellosis . While the incidence of nontyphoid salmonellosis is estimated at over 2 million cases annually , extraintestinal manifestations account for less than 1 % of cases . This paper describes two patients with Salmonella neck abscesses as the initial presentation of diabetes mellitus . The first patient was diagnosed as having Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis sternocleidomastoid pyomyositis and the second patient Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium parapharyngeal abscess . Both patients had elevated hemoglobin A 1 c levels and had not been previously diagnosed with diabetes mellitus . Salmonella spp . should be on the differential as a causative pathogen in patients presenting with neck abscesses and poorly controlled glucose levels . Diabetes may be a risk factor for salmonellosis due to decreased gastric acidity and prolonged gastric transit time . Prompt incision and drainage accompanied by antibiotics remains the treatment of choice for infected neck abscesses .