Description
Noma neonatorum is a rare gangrenous form of noma, which during its course, causes progressive and mutilating destruction of the soft tissues and the bone. It occurs in newborns at birth or during the first month of life. It is characterised by a gangrenous process involving mucocutaneous junctions of oral, nasal and anal area and occasionally, the eyelids and scrotum.1 In low birthweight babies it is almost always quickly fatal.
A 25-day-old female infant reported with a suddenly developed small boil over the upper lip. The boil burst on fifth day and formed an ulcer with high-grade fever. The ulcer was involving upper lip and nose, because of which the patient had inability to suck. The infant was delivered full term, with birth weight of 1.8 kg.
On examination, gangrenous blackish lesion involving upper lip, alveolar mucosa, eyelids and lateral areas of nose. The patient appeared with high-grade fever, malnourished, debilitated, toxic and dehydrated. The pulse rate was 160 bpm, heart rate was 132/min and respiratory rate was 30 cycles/min. The respiratory system appeared clear and cardiovascular system appeared normal. No other developmental deformity was found. The case was provisionally diagnosed as noma neonatorum with septicaemia (figure 1). The patient was prescribed antipyretic and antibiotic (amoxicillin) drugs. Intravenous fluids and nasogastric tube for feeding was introduced.
Figure 1.
Infant suffering from noma.
On haematological investigation, haemoglobin was 22.4 g/dl, packed cell volume 69.2%, mean corpuscular volume 101 fl, platelet count was found to be 0.35 lakhs/mm3. The blood group was B positive. Peripheral smear showed normocytic normochromic, relative neutrophilia and decreased platelets count. RBC count was 6.76 millions/mm3, total lung capacity was 16 700 cells/mm3. Blood glucose was 52 mg/dl. HIV test was negative.
Swab test showed Gram negative bacilli. Pseudomonas aeruginosa organism was isolated. Antibiotic sensitivity test was performed which showed P aeruginosa sensitive to netilmycin, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, amikacin, cefoperazone and clindamycin. The organism was resistant to gentamycin, augmentin and lomefloxacin.
Based on the culture and sensitivity test, antibiotics were changed to intravenous netilmicin 50 mg intravenous in 100 ml injection, amikacin 15 mg intravenous in 1 ml injection, clindamycin 300 mg intravenous in 2 ml injection and topical clindamycin cream for next 7 days. Intravenous fluids and nasogastric tube feeding was continued. Platelets and fresh frozen plasma (350 ml) were transfused. Initial response to the treatment was that the body temperature returned to normal. By the seventh day of hospitalisation, overall health of the patient improved. Gangrenous lesions started drying out. Nasogastric tube was removed. Bottle feeding started with multivitamins. Oral antibiotics were given for 3 weeks. Local wound care was continued. Necrotic areas shed by 26th day from the face. The patient completely recovered with permanent loss of the nose and deformation of the upper lip (figure 2).
Figure 2.
Post treatment healing.
Learning points.
Noma neonatorum is characterised by a gangrenous process involving mucocutaneous junctions of oral, nasal and anal area and occasionally, the eyelids and scrotum.
Most patients with noma report until the disease is at an advanced stage.
It is seen during the first few weeks of neonatal life in premature and low birthweight babies.
It is usually associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and septicemia.
Footnotes
Contributors: All the authors have contributed to the manuscript.
Competing interests: None.
Patient consent: Obtained.
Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
Reference
- 1.Parikh TB, Nanavati RN, Udani RH. Noma neonatorum. Indian J Pediatr 2006;2013:439–40 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]