CASE PRESENTATION: An 8-year-old and an 11-year-old were admitted separately to the hospital with fever for 7 and 14 days, respectively. In the younger child, a generalized rash preceded the fever. Both had been well, with no significant past medical history prior to the onset of the illness. In both girls, abdominal ultrasonography showed multiple small hypoechoic lesions suggestive of abscesses scattered throughout the spleen. Their C-reactive protein and blood cultures were negative, and symptoms persisted despite intravenous antibiotics. Fulfilling the clinical and immunologic criteria for diagnosis, both were ultimately diagnosed with childhood-onset SLE. Rapid recovery of symptoms and complete resolution of the abscesses ensued with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all children who had liver and/or spleen abscesses on abdominal ultrasonography admitted to Bintulu Hospital in Sarawak, Malaysia, from January 2014 until December 2018.

RESULTS: Fifty-three children had liver and/or spleen abscesses. Spleen abscesses were present in 48 (91%) cases; liver abscesses in 15 (28%). Melioidosis was confirmed by culture in 9 (17%) children; small occult splenic abscesses were present in all cases. In 78% of these cases, the lesions were detected before any positive culture (or serology) results were available. Four (8%) children had bacteriologically-confirmed tuberculosis. Two (4%) had Staphylococcus aureus infection. Of the remaining 38 (72%) culture-negative cases, 36 (95%) had clinical and imaging characteristics similar to that of children with culture-confirmed melioidosis and improved with empirical melioidosis antibiotic therapy.