Affiliations: Departments of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious
Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, Australia | Department of Medicine, The Children's Hospital at
Westmead, Sydney, Australia | Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of
Medicine, the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia | The Australian Pediatric Surveillance Unit, Sydney,
Australia
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Katherine Hale, Departments of Allergy,
Immunology and Infectious Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Locked
Bag 4001, Westmead 2145, NSW Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9845 0000; Fax: +61 2 9845
3389; E-mail: Katherh2@chw.edu.au
Abstract: We report a case of Salmonella typhimurium encephalopathy in a
7-year-old girl. The patient presented with abrupt onset of coma following a
brief history of diarrhea, vomiting and fever. Despite aggressive and
appropriate management, she developed acute renal failure and coagulopathy and
irreversible neurological compromise. No adequate alternative explanation was
found for her disease. A summary of published cases is presented and postulated
pathogenic mechanisms are discussed, which includes an endotoxin triggered
inflammatory response.
