Pneumococcus beyond an Austrian syndrome – A case report

Abstract

Austrian syndrome is a rare entity characterized by Osler’s triad: endocarditis, pneumonia and meningitis, caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (Austrian, 1957 [1]). This aggressive syndrome is associated with high morbidity and mortality, often due to the involvement of the heart valves and their destruction (Nogué et al., 2019 [2], Araji et al., 2008 [3]).We present a case of Austrian syndrome in a splenectomised elderly patient with an unusual presentation: septic arthritis complicated by endocarditis, septic cerebral emboli, meningitis and pneumonia. Despite appropriate therapy, the prognosis remained poor and the patient died at day 7.

Keywords

• Pneumococcus
• Invasive pneumococcal disease
• Austrian syndrome
• Splenectomy
• Pneumococcal vaccine