A septic embolism is a type of embolism that is infected with

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

, resulting in the formation of

pus Pus is an exudate, typically white-yellow, yellow, or yellow-brown, formed at the site of inflammation during bacterial or fungal infection. An accumulation of pus in an enclosed tissue space is known as an abscess, whereas a visible collection ...

. These may become dangerous if dislodged from their original location. Like other emboli, a septic embolism may be fatal. One of the common microbes that can lead to widespread dissemination of septic emboli is '' Fusobacterium necrophorum'', a

Gram negative The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram. Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure water equal to t ...

anaerobic

bacillus ''Bacillus'' (Latin "stick") is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria, a member of the phylum '' Bacillota'', with 266 named species. The term is also used to describe the shape (rod) of other so-shaped bacteria; and the plural ''Bacil ...

. Fusobacteriota are commensal organisms in the oral cavity. ''F. necrophorum'' and'' F. nucleatum'' are the most important among the non-spore forming

anaerobic Anaerobic means "living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen", as opposed to aerobic which means "living, active, or occurring only in the presence of oxygen." Anaerobic may also refer to: *Adhesive#Anaerobic, Anaerobic ad ...

bacilli in causing human infections.'' F. necroporum'' may occasionally cause septicaemia with metastatic abscesses ( Lemierre's syndrome).

Pathogenesis

Septic emboli most often originate from

extrapulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in w ...

locations which have been infected for a period of time. For example, a person's intravenous access site, which is used to insert intravenous drugs, may become infected. When present in great number, septic emboli can coalesce and mimick a lobar or bronchopneumonia. The infected site, combined with various coagulants that may be generated by the bacteria or the body, may then break off and enter the

circulatory system The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

, potentially causing a

clot A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...

Diagnosis

A septic embolism can be difficult to identify, as it is often attributed to other disorders or infections of the body. As a result, it may wreak havoc with

CT scan A computed tomography scan (CT scan; formerly called computed axial tomography scan or CAT scan) is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers ...

s. It can also be confused with lymph nodules, considering the similarity in shape and size. However, septic emboli usually lodge in the

heart valve A heart valve is a one-way valve that allows blood to flow in one direction through the chambers of the heart. Four valves are usually present in a mammalian heart and together they determine the pathway of blood flow through the heart. A heart ...

s, where there are no lymph nodes.

References

{{Consequences of external causes Diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries

Pathogenesis

Diagnosis

See also

References