Melioidosis Presenting with Isolated Splenic Abscesses: a Case Report

Splenic abscesses caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei are rarely reported in Taiwan. Here we report a middle-aged man who presented with fever, chills, and general malaise for several days. Abdominal echo revealed isolated splenic abscesses and he received antibiotics treatment according to the initial blood culture result, Serratia marcescens. However, fever did not subside. Then he was referred to our hospital and meropenem was prescribed. Fever subsided 5 days after the beginning of meropenem administration. Repeated fine-needle aspiration of splenic abscesses drained out the pus, which was cultured as B. pseudomallei. He was finally diagnosed as a case of melioidosis based on microbiological evidence. Physicians must take melioidosis into consideration when splenic abscesses are encountered clinically.