A Case of Vertebral Osteomyelitis with Bacteremia and Psoas Abscess Caused byNon-typeable Haemophilus influenzae

Vertebral osteomyelitis is primarily seen in middle-aged individuals, with a mean age of presentation of ~60 years. Recent trends suggest an increase in the incidence of vertebral osteomyelitis due to longer life expectancy of patients with chronic debilitating diseases. Haemophilus influenzae is a small, fastidious, gram-negative bacillus, which is known to cause infections in young children. While invasive H. influenzae infections have become increasingly common in adult populations, bone infections caused by this organism remain extremely rare. The existing medical literature includes only 11 reports of vertebral osteomyelitis caused by H. influenzae since 1978, with no reports of H. influenzae-associated vertebral osteomyelitis observed in Korea. Here, we present the case of a 72-year old patient with hematogenous vertebral osteomyelitis and psoas abscess caused by non-typeable H. influenzae. (Korean J Med 2014;87:636-641)