Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a causative agent of cervical osteomyelitis. Case report and review of the literature

Pseudomonas aeruginosa osteomyelitis and epidural abscess of the cervical spine developed in a previously healthy, 73-year-old man who was not an intravenous drug abuser. In the recent literature, Pseudomonas cervical osteomyelitis has been reported only in intravenous drug abusers or in otherwise healthy individuals after a tooth extraction. In the literature of the past 30 years, isolated cases of cervical osteomyelitis were associated with urinary tract infections. The majority of these cases involved urinary tract instrumentation. The pathogenesis remains controversial. It appears that spontaneous cervical osteomyelitis in a non-intravenous drug abuser has not been previously reported.