Ann Clin Microbiol.  2016 Jun;19(2):54-57. 10.5145/ACM.2016.19.2.54.

Late Prosthetic Joint Infection and Bacteremia by Bacillus cereus Confirmed by 16S rRNA Sequencing and Hip Joint Tissue Pathology

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Pathology, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
  • 3Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
  • 4Department of Laboratory Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea. yakim@nhimc.or.kr

Abstract

Bacillus cereus is a widespread organism in nature and a member of the B. cereus group of catalasepositive, aerobic, spore-forming, Gram-positive bacilli. B. cereus found in blood is often dismissed as a contaminant in the absence of repeated isolation from multiple cultures. Soft tissue and bone infection due to B. cereus have been associated with trauma, intravenous drug use, and an immunocompromised state. We report a very late prosthetic joint infection of the hip joint and consequent bacteremia caused by B. cereus, which occurred 13 years after total hip replacement surgery in the absence of recent trauma or intervention.

Keyword

Arthritis; Bacillus cereus; Bacteremia; Prosthesis; 16S rRNA

MeSH Terms

Arthritis
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip
Bacillus cereus*
Bacillus*
Bacteremia*
Hip Joint*
Hip*
Joints*
Pathology*
Prostheses and Implants

Figure

  • Fig. 1. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and nuclear debris with fibrinous exudate (Hematoxylin-esoin stain, ×400).

  • Fig. 2. Clustered Gram-positive bacilli in fibrinous exudate (Gram stain, ×400, ×1,000).


Reference

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