Multiple hepatic abscesses due to Yersinia enterocolitica

We report a case of multiple hepatic abscesses due to Yersinia enterocolitica in a 58 yr old male. This case is typical of the other 39 cases reported in the literature in that the patient had alcoholism, malnutrition, iron overload and a subsequently diagnosed malignancy. Ultrasound showed multiple hypoechoic areas in the liver which were confirmed by CT scan. The patient also had a rectal lesion initially thought to be malignant, leading to a presumptive diagnosis of metastatic disease, A CT-guided line needle aspiration biopsy of a liver lesion unexpectedly revealed pus which subsequently grew Yersinia enterocolitica. The organism was also isolated from the patient's blood and feces. This case illustrates the need for histological and microbiological investigation of radiologically diagnosed presumptive malignancy.