Korean J Clin Pathol.  1998 Sep;18(3):399-402.

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Bacteremia in a Hemodialysis Patient

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Clinical Pathology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a facultatively anaerobic, gram-positive rod, has long been an important pathogen in veterinary medicine. Recently E. rhusiopathiae has become more commonly recognized as a cause of serious diseases in humans, such as endocarditis- associated ones. Identifying E. rhusiopathiae is difficult as this organism may be mistaken for Streptococcus or just dismissed as a contaminant. E. rhusiopathiae was isolated from a blood specimen obtained from a 65-year-old man, who had chronic renal failure. His recent contact history with animal was not available. The isolate showed typical cultural and biochemical characteristics such as growth on both aerobic and anaerobic media, formation of small, greenish colonies on blood agar, positive hydrogen sulfide in TSI agar, and absence of motility and catalase reaction. The isolate was resistant to vancomycin in disk diffusion test and in Etest. In conclusion, in case of unidentified gram-positive bacterial sepsis, one should be aware of E. rhusiopathiae as a possible pathogen.

Keyword

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae; Bacteremia; Hemodialysis; Vancomycin resistance

MeSH Terms

Agar
Aged
Animals
Bacteremia*
Catalase
Diffusion
Erysipelothrix*
Humans
Hydrogen Sulfide
Kidney Failure, Chronic
Renal Dialysis*
Sepsis
Streptococcus
Vancomycin
Vancomycin Resistance
Veterinary Medicine
Agar
Catalase
Hydrogen Sulfide
Vancomycin
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