A Rare Case of Streptococcus Pneumoniae Causing Malignant Otitis Externa Complicated by Skull Base Osteomyelitis

Abstract

Skull base osteomyelitis is an aggressive infection involving bones of the skull. It is a rare complication of malignant otitis externa, caused by the contiguous spread of the infection. Patients are mostly elderly with comorbidities that compromise immunity. It is atypical for Streptococcus species to be encountered in basilar skull osteomyelitis. Here we present the case of an 80-year-old male with multiple comorbidities including diabetes mellitus with a two-month history of right ear pain associated with occasional discharge and diminished hearing who was found to have bacteremia and basilar skull osteomyelitis with Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from blood and otorrhea fluid cultures. This unusual presentation of S. pneumoniae related skull base osteomyelitis could be attributed to an undiagnosed pancreatic cancer at the time of presentation. Malignant otitis externa can progress into invasive disease in the head and neck; almost all cases tend to be caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa but unusual cases, such as this, can be caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.