Cutaneous aseptic neutrophilic abscesses and Yersinia enterocolitica infection in a case subsequently diagnosed as Crohn's disease.

We report the case of a man who presented cutaneous aseptic abscesses, a rare form of neutrophilic disease, associated with Yersinia enterocolitica infection and who was later diagnosed as having Crohn's disease (CD). Genetic analysis showed that the patient had a mutation in the caspase activation recruitment domain 15/nucleotide oligomerization domain 2 gene (R702W heterozygote). This case is in keeping with recent evidence in the literature which suggests that CD is a disease linked to abnormal immune responses to enteric bacteria in genetically susceptible individuals. Further understanding of the innate immune system should provide new insights into the pathogenesis of these inflammatory diseases.