Northern tropics? Seven cases of pyomyositis in northwestern Ontario

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To document the incidence and clinical characteristics of (tropical) pyomyositis in a predominantly First Nations population in northwestern Ontario. METHODS: The present study was a retrospective case series conducted over a 38-month period in a population of 29,105 in northwestern Ontario. RESULTS: The authors identified seven cases of pyomyositis and describe demographics, comorbidity, clinical course, and the results of imaging and microbiology investigations. The incidence of pyomyositis in northwestern Ontario is 7.6 cases per 100,000 person-years, a rate that is approximately 15 times higher than the only published incidence rate for a developed country (Australia). CONCLUSION: The rate of pyomyositis is high. It may be mediated by overcrowded housing, inadequate access to clean water, and high background rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, injection drug use, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.