Mycobacterium mucogenicum from the Hickman line of an immunocompromised patient. Issue 1 (3rd August 2007)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Marshall, C; Samuel, J; Galloway, A; Pedler, S
• Is Part Of: Journal of clinical pathology. Volume 61:Issue 1(2008)
• Page Start: 140
• Page End: 141
• Publication Date: 2007-08-03
• Subjects: Pathology -- Periodicals; Pathology, Molecular -- Periodicals; 616.0705
• DOI: 10.1136/jcp.2007.049486
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0021-9746

Abstract

Abstract : Gram stain of a positive blood culture is the clinician's first indication of a possible causative infective organism and a guide to suitable antimicrobial therapy prior to cultural and phenotypic identification with susceptibility test results. Occasionally interpretation of a Gram stain can be difficult; if there is a low bacterial load, no organisms may be seen. Such a case is reported, where a positive blood culture taken from the Hickman line of an immunocompromised patient flagged as positive at 5 days' incubation, but no organisms were seen on Gram film. On subculture, a slow growing Gram-positive bacillus was isolated which was initially misidentified and reported as a "diphtheroid" species. The actual identity of this organism and further isolates was later elucidated as Mycobacterium mucogenicum, a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium.