Sudden death of a child due to pyogenic bacterial myocarditis

Abstract

Bacterial myocarditis is an uncommon condition and only a few fatal cases in adults are reported in the scientific literature. Death from acute bacterial myocarditis in children is extremely rare. We report an unusual case of fatal bacterial myocarditis in a seven-year-old girl, who had a history of cough for a month and fever for two days. She was given symptomatic treatment by a local physician without suspecting her clinical condition. Her condition rapidly deteriorated and she was brought in dead to the hospital. Autopsy revealed pyogenic bacterial myocarditis associated with bilateral lobar pneumonia caused by Gram-positive cocci. Death from bacterial myocarditis can be prevented by early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotics.