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Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Jul 2011Actinobaculum schaalii is a new species that has so far been isolated from human blood, urine and pus. Its importance has probably been underestimated and other...
Actinobaculum schaalii is a new species that has so far been isolated from human blood, urine and pus. Its importance has probably been underestimated and other Actinobaculum spp. may also have been underdiagnosed. This retrospective study comprises all known cases of A. schaalii infections identified since 2004 in the canton of Neuchâtel (170,000 inhabitants), Switzerland. Strains were cultivated and isolated in the bacteriology laboratory using its routine procedure. Identification included a Rapid ID 32 A strip (bioMérieux) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Twenty-one positive samples were found in 19 patients (11 male, 8 female) of all ages (range 16-91 years): 10 from urine (50%), six from blood (30%), one from both blood and urine (5%), and three from pus (15%). Thirteen out of 17 (76%) cases with either blood or urine specimens had underlying genitourinary tract pathologies. When urine cultures were positive for A. schaalii, leucocytes were found in all samples (10/10, 100%) but all nitrite tests were negative (10/10, 100%). The onset of appropriate treatment was delayed due to the diminished sensitivity of A. schaalii to the antibiotics commonly used for UTIs (i.e. ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) and to the delay in microbiological diagnosis. A. schaalii should specifically be searched in all cases of leukocyturia with a negative nitrite test but with Gram-positive rods in the Gram stain, in patients with underlying genitourinary tract pathology, instead of dismissing these findings as clinically irrelevant colonization by coryneform bacteria. This infection may be much more common than previously thought.
Topics: Actinomycetaceae; Actinomycetales Infections; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Blood; DNA, Bacterial; DNA, Ribosomal; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Retrospective Studies; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Suppuration; Switzerland; Urine; Young Adult
PubMed: 20854424
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2010.03370.x -
FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology Apr 2009The genus Dietzia has only been established fairly recently. The Gram morphology and colony appearance of the species of this genus is remarkably similar to Rhodococcus... (Review)
Review
The genus Dietzia has only been established fairly recently. The Gram morphology and colony appearance of the species of this genus is remarkably similar to Rhodococcus equi. In the absence of simple, accurate methods for their identification, Dietzia spp. might have been misidentified as a Rhodococcus spp. and/or considered to be contaminants only. This MiniReview is designed to summarize current evidence on the clinical significance of Dietzia species, to consider their potential role as human pathogens, and to outline approaches that can be used to accurately classify and identify members of the genus, with the overall aim of alerting the medical microbiological community to a little known genus that contains clinically significant organisms.
Topics: Actinomycetales; Actinomycetales Infections; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Humans; Phylogeny
PubMed: 19159434
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-695X.2008.00513.x -
BMC Infectious Diseases Apr 2019Brevibacteria are obligate aerobic gram-positive rods that are associated with milk products and are also found on human skin. Brevibacterium has been reported as a rare...
BACKGROUND
Brevibacteria are obligate aerobic gram-positive rods that are associated with milk products and are also found on human skin. Brevibacterium has been reported as a rare cause of catheter related blood steam infection mainly in immunocompromised hosts such as malignancies or AIDS patients.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 94-year old woman, which had a past history of diabetes mellitus and chronic heart failure, presented with high fever associated with decreased oral intake and appetite loss and was admitted to our institute. A physical examination at the time of presentation was unremarkable. On day 2, both blood cultures collected on admission became positive with coryneform organism within 24 h without Staphylococci and Brevibacterium species were identified by Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Subsequently, genetic investigation by 16S ribosomal RNA analysis was performed in order to identify the organism. Finally, the result identified this pathogen as Brevibacterium paucivorans with 99.5% homology on the Ez taxon database. The patient was started empirically on meropenem and teicoplanin for broad-spectrum antibiotic coverage. The patient's fever finally abated and labs were also improved. On day 14, the antibiotic therapy was discontinued. The site of infections was unknown. We hereby report a case of Brevibacterium paicivorans bacteremia in an immunocompetent patient and review cases of Brevibacterium specises bacteremia previously reported. This is the first case of B. paucivorans bacteremia as far as we could search.
CONCLUSION
Physicians and microbiologists should be aware that Brevibacteria are uncommon but important agents which could cause opportunistic infections in immunocompetent.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteremia; Brevibacterium; DNA, Bacterial; Female; Humans; Molecular Typing; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
PubMed: 31023246
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-3962-y -
The Journal of Veterinary Medical... May 2016Rhodococcus equi is the causative agent of rhodococcosis in horses, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in foals. This bacterium has also been isolated from...
Rhodococcus equi is the causative agent of rhodococcosis in horses, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality in foals. This bacterium has also been isolated from a variety of animals and is being increasingly reported as a cause of infection in humans, mainly in immunosuppressed individuals. Laboratory diagnostics of R. equi infections based only on conventional microbiological methods shows low accuracy and can lead to misidentification. The objective of the study was to develop and evaluate a real-time PCR assay for direct detection of R. equi in various clinical specimens, including tissue samples. The species-specific region of the gene encoding R. equi cholesterol oxidase, choE, was used as a qPCR-target. The diagnostic applicability of the assay was confirmed by testing various tissue specimens obtained from horses with clinical signs of rhodoccocal infection and swine submaxillary lymph nodes. The rate of R. equi detection in clinical specimens by the developed assay was higher in comparison to the culture method (90% vs. 60.0% of positive samples) and conventional PCR (90.0% vs. 20.0% of positive samples). In case of 13 samples that were negative in the culture-based method, R. equi was detected by the developed assay. Only in one case, it gave negative result for culture-positive sample. The assay may provide a simple and rapid tool to complement the classical methods of R. equi detection based on culture and phenotypic identification of isolates, as the performed evaluation indicated a high specificity and accuracy of the results.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Animals; Cholesterol Oxidase; Horse Diseases; Horses; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rhodococcus equi; Swine; Swine Diseases
PubMed: 26655770
DOI: 10.1292/jvms.15-0516 -
Anales de Pediatria Oct 2018
Review
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Balanitis; Child; Foreskin; Humans; Male
PubMed: 29290502
DOI: 10.1016/j.anpedi.2017.12.005 -
The Brazilian Journal of Infectious... 2015Brevibacterium spp. are catalase-positive, non-spore-forming, non motile, aerobic Gram-positive rods that were considered apathogenic until a few reports of infections... (Review)
Review
Brevibacterium spp. are catalase-positive, non-spore-forming, non motile, aerobic Gram-positive rods that were considered apathogenic until a few reports of infections in immunocompromised patients had been published. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of B. casei catheter-related bloodstream infection in a child with acute leukemia. We aim to enhance the awareness of pediatric hematology and infectious disease specialists about this pathogen and review of the literature.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Brevibacterium; Catheter-Related Infections; Child; Humans; Male; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma
PubMed: 25636191
DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2014.09.011 -
The Israel Medical Association Journal... Nov 2021
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Meningitis, Bacterial; Peritonitis; Rhodococcus; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
PubMed: 34811993
DOI: No ID Found -
Medicine Nov 2002We report 12 cases of Whipple disease in patients with prominent neurologic symptoms, along with 122 cases of Whipple disease with nervous system involvement reported in... (Review)
Review
We report 12 cases of Whipple disease in patients with prominent neurologic symptoms, along with 122 cases of Whipple disease with nervous system involvement reported in the literature. We analyzed the clinical signs and results of additional examinations in 2 groups: the first group included patients with predominantly but not exclusively neurologic signs, and the second included patients with clinically isolated neurologic presentation of the disease. Whipple disease is a multisystemic infectious disease due to Tropheryma whippelii that may present with prominent or isolated symptoms of either the central or the peripheral nervous system. Recent reports stress the importance of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of cerebrospinal fluid, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during follow-up, and prolonged antibiotic therapy with drugs able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Cerebrospinal fluid should be analyzed repeatedly during follow-up, and treatment should be discontinued only when the results of PCR assay performed on cerebrospinal fluid are negative. Other examinations to be done include searching for gastrointestinal tract involvement with multiple duodenal biopsies and searching for systemic involvement with lymph node biopsies, which should be analyzed with light microscopy, electron microscopy, and PCR. When all examinations are negative, if Whipple disease is suspected and a lesion is found on brain MRI, a stereotactic cerebral biopsy should be performed. Treating Whipple disease with long-term trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is usually effective, but the use of third-generation cephalosporins in case of incomplete response deserves further attention.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Biopsy; Blood-Brain Barrier; Central Nervous System Diseases; Cephalosporins; Female; Humans; Lymph Nodes; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Stereotaxic Techniques; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Whipple Disease
PubMed: 12441901
DOI: 10.1097/00005792-200211000-00005 -
Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan) Jun 2019An 81-year-old Japanese man with no history of diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital for a fever with a new ulcerative lesion on the left heel. Blood cultures... (Review)
Review
An 81-year-old Japanese man with no history of diabetes mellitus was admitted to our hospital for a fever with a new ulcerative lesion on the left heel. Blood cultures on admission grew Arcanobacterium haemolyticum in aerobic bottles. He was therefore diagnosed with A. haemolyticum bacteremia and osteomyelitis complicated with foot decubitus ulcer. He was successfully treated with intravenous antibiotic therapy and debridement of the left heel. Our case and literature review show that it is important to recognize that A. haemolyticum is a systemic causative pathogen in immunocompetent patients in primary care practice.
Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Arcanobacterium; Bacteremia; Combined Modality Therapy; Debridement; Education, Medical, Continuing; Fever; Foot Ulcer; Humans; Male; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Osteomyelitis; Physicians, Primary Care; Pressure Ulcer
PubMed: 30713320
DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2162-18 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Sep 2019Cellulosimicrobium species, formely known as Oerskovia species, are gram-positive bacilli belonging to the order Actinomycetales. They rarely cause human infections. The...
BACKGROUND
Cellulosimicrobium species, formely known as Oerskovia species, are gram-positive bacilli belonging to the order Actinomycetales. They rarely cause human infections. The genus comprises two pathogenic species in humans: C. cellulans and C. funkei. Based on a case report, we provide a review of the literature of infections caused by Cellulosimicrobium/Oerskovia, in order to improve our knowledge of this unusual infection.
CASE PRESENTATION
An 82-year-old woman with aortic prosthetic valve presented to the hospital with fever and heart failure. Further work up revealed the diagnosis of C. cellulans infective endocarditis (IE). The strain was identified by MALDI-TOF MS, API Coryne and 16S rRNA sequencing. The patient was deemed not to be an operative candidate and died despite the antibiotic therapy 35 days after admission.
CONCLUSIONS
Reviewing cases of Cellulosimicrobium species infections and communicating the successful and unsuccessful clinical experiences can assist future healthcare providers. Our case and those previously reported indicate that Cellulosimicrobium species usually infect immunocompromised patients or foreign body carriers. The most frequent pattern of infection is central venous catheter related bacteremia. The optimal treatment should include foreign body removal and valve surgery should be considered in case of IE.
Topics: Actinomycetales; Actinomycetales Infections; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Endocarditis, Bacterial; Female; Heart Failure; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
PubMed: 31533642
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4440-2