Case Report
Lim Mei Sin and Pulivendhan Se
Abstract
Lemierre's syndrome is a rare but indefinitely severe illness caused by the anaerobic bacterium, Fusobacterium necrophorum. It typically occurs in healthy teenagers and young adults who usually start as a throat infection which spreads via a septic thrombophlebitis of the tonsillar vein and internal jugular vein. Furthermore, the spread of infection is complicated by septic emboli to other sites such as lung, joints, and bones. Most commonly, it is an infection that manifests as a pharyngotonsillitis or peritonsillar abscess and subsequently seen as a swelling and tenderness in the cervical region due to septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. The worst outcome from this septic embolus includes the development of internal jugular vein thrombosis due to the retrograde propagation which involves cranial venous sinuses such as the cavernous and sigmoid sinuses.