To provide an update on the microbiology, sensitivity rates and antibiotic prescribing patterns for superficial neck lymph node abscesses at Scotland's largest paediatric tertiary centre. Findings were compared to historical data from our institution.

A retrospective case series was conducted of paediatric patients undergoing incision and drainage of a superficial neck lymph node abscess at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, from 2018 to 2021.

Thirty-nine abscesses were identified. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest micro-organism (28 per cent), followed by Streptococcus pyogenes (13 per cent). Eighty-two per cent of patients were administered a drug regimen containing co-amoxiclav. Only three children required a change in their antibiotics.

There was a significant change in causative micro-organisms, including a decrease in S aureus and an increase in the Streptococcus anginosus group. Empirical use of co-amoxiclav is recommended. In abscesses showing no clinical improvement, second-line options such as clindamycin, cefotaxime and vancomycin should be considered.

Although melioidosis in the head and neck region is uncommon, it is a potentially life-threatening infection. Thus, early diagnosis and proper management are very important.

To report the clinical presentation and management of melioidosis in the head and neck.

A retrospective study was conducted from 1 January 2013 to 31 October 2016 in Mukdahan Hospital, Thailand. Case records of patients who had presented with culture-positive melioidosis were analysed.

Medical records of 49 patients (23 males and 26 females) were analysed. Patients ranged in age from 1 to 75 years. Clinical presentations included 22 parotid abscesses, 16 neck abscesses and 11 suppurative lymphadenitis cases. Only 35 patients (71 per cent) had high indirect haemagglutination assay titres of ≥ 1:160 (95 per cent confidence interval = 45.35–88.28). Almost half of the patients received intravenous ceftazidime and subsequently oral co-trimoxazole. Oral antibiotic regimens were prescribed for mild localised melioidosis. Overall, 95.65 per cent of patients were in remission and no relapses were observed (95 per cent confidence interval = 85.47–98.80).

Careful clinical correlation and proper investigation are required to establish an early diagnosis of melioidosis and to initiate appropriate treatment.

To describe the clinical features of head and neck tuberculosis in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Retrospective, observational study.

The study included 358 patients who received a histopathologically and/or microbiologically confirmed diagnosis of tuberculosis in the head and neck region between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2011.

A total of 358 new cases of head and neck tuberculosis were identified during the study period, involving 196 males (54.7 per cent) and 162 females (45.3 per cent). These patients had a median age of 31 years (range, 3 months to 83 years). Testing for human immunodeficiency virus was positive in 233 (65.1 per cent) and negative in 125 (34.9 per cent). Right-sided cervical lymphadenitis was the commonest form of presentation of head and neck tuberculosis.

In this study, right-sided cervical lymphadenopathy was the commonest presentation of head and neck tuberculosis in both human immunodeficiency virus infected and non-infected individuals. Head and neck tuberculosis should not be excluded solely based on a normal chest X-ray, nor on the absence of constitutional symptoms.

We report an extremely rare case of otitis media due to Francisella tularensis, complicated by multiple suppurative cervical lesions and a lasting conductive hearing loss.

A young woman presented with otitis media, several neck swellings and a retropharyngeal swelling. Polymerase chain reaction testing of aspirated fluid and serology confirmed the diagnosis of tularaemia. Specific antibiotic therapy initiated six weeks after the onset of initial symptoms did not resolve the disease, and open surgical drainage was necessary.

Otitis media unresponsive to conventional therapy and accompanied by unusually pronounced lymphadenopathy should prompt the clinician to consider tularaemia as a differential diagnosis, in order to initiate timely, specific therapy.