Atypical presentation of pyomyositis in a young immunocompetent male with history of prior neck trauma: a case report

Abstract

Pyomyositis (also known as pyogenic myositis, tropical myositis, etc.) is a primary skeletal muscle infection that was initially thought to be limited to tropical areas.1 Since the 1970s, an increasing number of cases have been described in temperate areas–the majority of them in association with immunosuppressed states such as HIV infection, organ transplantations, chemotherapies and rheumatologic diseases.2 Pyomyositis is a rare entity with cervical musculature involvement occurring 0.5-4% of the time, usually following dental or tonsillar trauma.3