Catheter-related blood stream infection caused by Dermacoccus barathri, representing the first case of Dermacoccus infection in humans. Issue 8 (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Takahashi, Nobuhiro; Shinjoh, Masayoshi; Tomita, Hirofumi; Fujino, Akihiro; Sugita, Kayoko; Katohno, Yasuhiro; Kuroda, Tatsuo; Kikuchi, Ken
• Is Part Of: Journal of infection and chemotherapy. Volume 21:Issue 8(2015:Aug.)
• Page Start: 613
• Page End: 616
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: Chemotherapy -- Periodicals; Infection -- Periodicals; Communicable diseases -- Chemotherapy -- Periodicals; 615.5805
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jiac.2015.04.007
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1341-321X

Abstract

<abstract xml:lang="en" abstract-type="author" id="abs0010"> <title id="sectitle0010">Abstract</title> <sec> <p id="abspara0010">A 7-year-old boy undergoing home parenteral nutrition with totally implantable central venous access device for chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction experienced repeated episodes of fever with a temperature above 39.0 °C despite the antibiotic treatment. The fever was considered to be catheter-related blood stream infections, as no other etiology could be justified. Repeated blood culture tests revealed negative after 1-week incubation, whereas some samples of blood collected from the central venous catheter yielded positive and gram-positive rods were detected. These bacteria were detected repeatedly, then the central venous access device was removed with consideration for the possibility of this bacteria being a pathogen. Thereafter, the fever did not recur and the blood culture tests were negative.</p> <p id="abspara0015">The causative agent was identified as <italic>Dermacoccus barathri</italic> based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence and phylogenetic analysis of 6118-bp concatenated sequences of 4 housekeeping genes. Genus <italic>Dermacoccus</italic> are one form of <italic>Actinomycetes</italic> isolated from human skin and water, but human infection with <italic>Dermacoccus</italic> spp. has not been previously reported and the pathogenicity of the bacteria remains unclear. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of <italic>Dermacoccus</italic> infection in humans.</p> </sec> </abstract>