Article Text
Summary
Melioidosis is endemic in Southeast Asia and tropical Australia with varying clinical features from benign skin lesions to fatal septicaemia. Imaging plays an important role in evaluation of the melioid liver abscesses. A 45-year-old man with underlying diabetes presented with fever and lethargy for 2 weeks and abdominal pain for 2 days. His liver was enlarged on examination. Blood investigations revealed mild leucocytosis and raised liver enzymes. Ultrasound showed multiple multiloculated hypoechoic lesions throughout the liver and spleen. CT of abdomen confirmed that some liver lesions were made up of asymmetric locules of varying sizes (honeycomb sign), while others had hypodense centre with small symmetric peripheral locules in radial fashion (necklace sign). Blood culture was positive for Burkholderia pseudomallei. He was subsequently treated with ceftazidime for a month followed by oral trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole for 3 months. Follow-up CT of abdomen a month after diagnosis and treatment showed resolving hepatic and splenic lesions.
- hepatitis and other GI infections
- radiology
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Footnotes
Contributors The authors SCLO, MMM, NZ and NAAH have contributed sufficiently to the project and have met all criteria to be included as authors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.