Salmonella pneumonia in a patient with carcinoma of the lung.

A 76-year-old man was hospitalized for pneumonia. Bronchoscopy was performed because of a suspected underlying bronchial malignancy. A squamous cell carcinoma was found on bronchial biopsy, but in addition, culture of the bronchial washings grew Salmonella heidelberg. The infection was successfully treated with tetracycline. Although focal and disseminated infections with S. heidelberg have been reported to occur, pneumonia caused by this organism has not been previously documented.