Pneumococcal aortitis: an insidious diagnosis.

A patient with Streptococcus pneumoniae aortitis is presented. Because of nonspecific symptoms (fever and back pain) there was a long diagnostic delay. In addition, the aortitis was located near the renal arteries which severely hampered early surgical treatment. Although emergency surgery was performed when aortic rupture occurred, the patient did not survive. Infectious arteritis of large vessels is a diagnosis often made late and associated with high mortality.