Affiliations: Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Michigan
State University College of Human Medicine, Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI,
USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Olugbemiga E. Jegede, MD, Department of
Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Michigan State University College of Human
Medicine, Hurley Medical Center, Flint, MI, USA. Tel.: +1 810 257 9841; Fax: +1
810 257 9736; E-mail: gbjegson@yahoo.com
Abstract: We report Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a cause of
Gradenigo's syndrome, a rare complication of suppurative otitis media (OM). The
clinical triad of sixth nerve palsy, OM and pain in the distribution of
trigeminal nerve constitute the diagnosis of Gradenigo's syndrome. Common
organisms that have been recovered include; Group A Streptococcus,
Pneumococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
Mycobacterium tuberculosis}. Our aim is to report the first case of Gradenigo's
syndrome caused by S. maltophilia}, an aerobic, non-fermentative,
Gram-negative bacterium which causes uncommon but difficult to treat infections
in humans. Rare pathogens such as S. maltophilia should be included in
the differential diagnosis of organisms causing complicated non-responding OM
even if the host is immunocompetent.
Keywords: S. maltophilia, Gradenigo's syndrome, otitis media
