Bacterial infections: Pyomyositis

Summary Staphylococcal pyomyositis is an important and common condition in many areas in the tropics. The cause is probably multifactorial and includes damage to the skeletal muscle in the presence of staphylococcal bacteraemia, with or without depressed immunity. In Africa, there are indications of an increased prevalence in association with HIV infection in young adults in whom multiple and recurrent abscesses are common. Long bone osteomyelitis is an important differential diagnosis in these patients. Timely surgical drainage and antibiotics leads to resolution. Delayed diagnosis is associated with disseminated disease and septic cardiorespiratory complications.