Granulomatous Enterocolitis Secondary to Yersinia in an 11-year-old Boy from Puerto Rico, Confirmed by PCR: A Case Report

Abstract

We report the case of an 11-year-old boy without any history of systemic illness and who developed fever and chills and experienced a 10 lbs. weight loss 3 weeks prior to admission. Two days before admission, he experienced abdominal pain that became localized to the right lower quadrant within 24 hours. A non-enhanced abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a 5 mm, amorphous, hyperdense, right lower quadrant calcification associated with a 9 mm fluid-filled structure. An exploratory laparotomy revealed thickening of the proximal vermiform appendix extending to the cecum, with mesenteric adenopathy. An en-bloc excision of the distal ileum, cecum, mesocolon, and vermiform appendix with an end-to-end ileo-ascending colon anastomosis was performed because of a suspected neoplasm. Pathologic examination of the specimen revealed granulomatous enterocolitis with associated acute suppurative appendicitis and a cecum abscess. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of a paraffin embedded tissue block confirmed Yersinia enterocolitica DNA in the tissue, pointing to Yersinia as being the etiologic microbe. To our knowledge, this is the first case of yersiniosis to be reported in Puerto Rico.