A retropharyngeal abscess caused by Francisella tularensis with an aberrant internal carotid artery on the same side
Erbil Kılıç1, Yusuf Hıdır2, Yavuz Çekli3, Turan Ilıca4, Mustafa Gerek5
1Haydarpaşa Sultan Abdülhamid Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
2Egepol Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Bölümü, İzmir, Türkiye
3Gülhane Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Enfeksiyon Hastalıkları ve Klinik Mikrobiyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Ankara, Türkiye
4MedicalPark Hastanesi, Radyoloji Bölümü, Ankara, Türkiye
5Gülhane Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Kulak Burun Boğaz Kliniği, Ankara, Türkiye
Keywords: Aberrant carotid artery, Francisella tularensis, retropharyngeal abscess.
Abstract
Tularemia is a rare zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, which is a pathogenic spp. of Gram-negative, non-capsular, aerobic coccobacillus. Insect or rodent bite, contact with animals, consuming contaminated animal products, and water may be the routes of transmission. This bacterial infection has a significant place in the otolaryngology practice, as some patients with tularemia have signs and symptoms localized in the head and neck. In this article, we report a 60-year-old female patient with a four-month history of sore throat, dysphagia, right-sided neck mass, and fever. Radiological studies revealed a retropharyngeal abscess with a right-sided aberrant internal carotid artery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of a retropharyngeal abscess caused by Francisella tularensis with an aberrant internal carotid artery on the same side.