Primed for pathogens

Abstract

A 50-year-old woman with a history of congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, obstructive sleep apnea, morbid obesity, and severe, chronic lymphedema presented to the emergency department. She complained of right lower extremity pain, redness, and swelling. During the previous several years, she had been treated for soft tissue infections of both lower extremities caused by a variety of bacterial pathogens including Actinomyces, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterococcus avium.