Case Report

Lemierre’s syndrome: A rare complication of acute bacterial pharyngitis

Pierre Joubert, Muhammed S. Moosa
Southern African Journal of Infectious Diseases | Vol 39, No 1 | a606 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajid.v39i1.606 | © 2024 Pierre Joubert, Muhammed S. Moosa | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 08 December 2023 | Published: 09 April 2024

About the author(s)

Pierre Joubert, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, New Somerset Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
Muhammed S. Moosa, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, New Somerset Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; and Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

Lemierre’s syndrome is a rare clinical syndrome of septic thrombophlebitis following a bacterial oropharyngeal infection. Lemierre’s syndrome can be difficult to recognise and has significant morbidity. We report the case of a young man with Lemierre’s syndrome caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, who responded well to 2 weeks of beta-lactam therapy.

Contributions: This case report summarises the key presenting features of Lemierre’s syndrome and provides a brief literature review considering the South African context.


Keywords

Lemierre’s syndrome; sepsis; thrombosis; septic emboli; strep pyogenes; streptococcus; neck mass; jugular thrombophlebitis

Metrics

Total abstract views: 927
Total article views: 523

 

Crossref Citations

1. Lemierre's Syndrome: A Case Report of Thrombophlebitis of the Internal Jugular Vein Induced by Laryngeal Cancer
José Manuel García Romero, Fatima Paulina Jaime Vargas, José Gonzalo Bravo Quiroz, Diana Pérez Mondragón, Pablo Hernández Guillen
Cureus  year: 2024  
doi: 10.7759/cureus.65060