Dental Infection Causing Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Spinal Infection: A Case Report

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 15; no. 12; p. e51136
• Main Authors: Munoz, Nicholas R, Ghorbani, Ali, Agwuegbo, Chibuike C, Vincent Coralde, John M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Cureus Inc 26.12.2023
• Subjects: Abscesses; Antibiotics; Back pain; Blood; Case reports; Crohns disease; Diagnostic tests; Edema; Fecal incontinence; Fentanyl; Fever; Gum disease; Heroin; Hospitals; Infectious diseases; Medical imaging; Mortality; Neck pain; Patients; Sepsis; Staphylococcus infections; Streptococcus infections; Teeth; methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa); dental infection; vertebral discitis; infectious disease medicine; crohn’s disease (cd); spinal abscess; drug use; periodontal disease (pd); methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteremia
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.51136

Poor dentition as a source of infection causing bacteremia and spinal infections (such as paraspinal abscess, and discitis) should be considered even in the absence of recent dental surgery. The case presents a patient found to have an infection in the cervical and thoracic spine, methicillin-resistant  bacteremia, and poor dentition. Although the patient had a history of drug use, he denied a history of intravenous drug use. He had Crohn's disease that resulted in periodontal and endodontal tooth disease. The patient was found to have poor dentition with erythematous gums. He had not been to the dentist in over 24 years and had active dental caries. Since he presented with bacteremia and a spinal infection, it is likely the patient had an infection in the oral cavity that spread hematogenously to the blood, and then the spine. This report highlights the importance of considering tooth infections as the source of bacteremia and spinal infections.