Salmonella enteritis: A rare cause of adult intussusception

Abstract

Intussusception is a relatively rare condition in the adult population and is commonly secondary to a malignant process. Eight to twenty percent of cases of adult intussusception are thought to be idiopathic. In children, infection has been proven to precipitate intussusception in the absence of any other cause. We present a rare case of intussusception in a healthy adult patient secondary to salmonella infection and discuss infection as a potential explanation for a proportion of the cases of adult intussusception that are thought to be idiopathic. We recommend testing for infective causes of intussusception in adults when more common causes, such as malignancy, have been excluded.