Objectives: To report, to the best of our knowledge, the youngest patient with Lemierre syndrome.
Design: Descriptive case report with review of the pediatric literature.
Setting: Pediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary referral hospital.
Data source: Systemic review of the literature, including PubMed (English-only journals) and major textbooks.
Patient: We report a 5-month-old boy who presented with fever and a perforated left-sided otitis media. He developed left-sided complicated otitis media with retroauricular fluid collection, mastoiditis, and temporomandibular joint effusion. The clinical picture was complicated by a left internal jugular vein and left lateral sinus thrombosis. Fusobacterium necrophorum grew in the pus culture.
Interventions: Low molecular weight heparin.
Measurements and main results: No immunodeficiency and no thrombophilia were identified as predisposing conditions for Lemierre syndrome. Surgical drainage, early and adequate antibiotic treatment, and anticoagulation were followed by complete recovery.
Conclusions: This case report illustrates that Lemierre syndrome can occur in infants without underlying risk factors for severe infections or thrombotic complications.