Community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in an infant

Summary

A 7-month-old infant presented at a tertiary centre with a 6-day history of a skin rash, fever and diarrhoea. Clinical features included pyrexia, kwashiorkor, extensive ulcerating skin lesions suggestive of ecthyma gangrenosum, hepatomegaly, meningismusa neutropenia and iron deficiency anaemia. Blood and skin aspirate cultures yielded a positive growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Apart from severe protein energy malnutrition, no other causes of immunodeficiency were found. He responded well to parenteral antibiotic therapy with gentamicin and piperacillin.