Molecular diagnosis of nonaneurysmal infectious aortitis

We report a 79-year-old patient who presented with a fever and abdominal pain. The patient was initially thought to have a retroperitoneal fibrosis or inflammatory abdominal aortitis in a normal-sized caliber aorta. Broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing revealed the presence of Enterobacter. We finally diagnosed nonaneurysmal infectious aortitis, and we performed a successful surgical resection. Establishing a diagnosis of aortic infection before formation of an aneurysm is difficult. The molecular diagnostic technique was particularly useful in specifying the microbial species and diagnosis.