A Case of Septicemia with Pediococcus acidilactici After Long-Term Antibiotic Treatment

Abstract Presented here is a case of septicemia caused by an uncommon, multiresistant, gram-positive microorganism (Pediococcus acidilactici) after long-term antibiotic treatment. Pediococcus spp. are rarely cultivated from clinical specimens, and species differentiation is difficult due to the paucity of phenotypic traits. In this case, a polyphasic approach consisting of phenotypic and molecular genetic analyses was used, and the identification of Pediococcus acidilactici was conclusive. Precise identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of rarely isolated bacteria are required in order to provide adequate treatment to infected patients and to determine the pathogenic role of these organisms.

[1]  A. Johnson Antibiotic resistance among clinically important gram-positive bacteria in the UK. , 1998, The Journal of hospital infection.

[2]  M. Aravena,et al.  Septicemia caused by vancomycin-resistant Pediococcus acidilactici , 1990, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[3]  K. Barbadora,et al.  Recovery of vancomycin-resistant gram-positive cocci from pediatric liver transplant recipients , 1991, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[4]  J. Elliott,et al.  Identification, classification, and clinical relevance of catalase-negative, gram-positive cocci, excluding the streptococci and enterococci , 1995, Clinical microbiology reviews.

[5]  Ellen Jo Baron,et al.  Manual of clinical microbiology , 1975 .

[6]  D. Kuritzkes,et al.  Vancomycin-resistant gram-positive bacteria isolated from human sources , 1988, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[7]  T. Mastro,et al.  Vancomycin-resistant Pediococcus acidilactici: nine cases of bacteremia. , 1990, The Journal of infectious diseases.

[8]  M. Ferraro Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing , 2001 .

[9]  G. Corcoran,et al.  Septicaemia caused by Pediococcus pentosaceus: a new opportunistic pathogen. , 1991, The Journal of infection.

[10]  P. Sarma,et al.  Pediococcus acidilactici Pneumonitis and Bacteremia in a Pregnant Woman , 1998, Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

[11]  G. Demmler,et al.  Pediococcus pentosaceus catheter-associated infection in an infant with gastroschisis. , 1994, The Pediatric infectious disease journal.