Isolation of Streptococcus thoraltensis from an Abdominal Wall Abscess in a Young Female: A Case Report

Abstract

Objective: Streptococcus thoraltensis is a recently described species, isolated from the intestinal and genital tracts of swine and from rabbit feces. We describe here a case of enterocutaneous fistula complicated by abdominal wall abscess formation attributable to S. thoraltensis. To our knowledge, this is the second reported human infection by this organism. Clinical features: Our patient is a 44-years-old diabetic female, with a previous history of ovarian mixed germ cell tumor treated with surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, presenting 18 years later with an enterocutaneous fistula complicated by abdominal wall abscess formation at the site of previous surgery. Culture from the drained pus and fistulous tract revealed Streptococcus thoraltensis. Outcome: The patient was treated conservatively with broad spectrum antibiotics and total parenteral nutrition. She suffered from disseminated intravascular coagulation and acute liver failure and passed away 4 weeks later. Conclusion: We report for the second time the isolation of streptococcus thoraltensis associated with a pathological process in humans. The infectious role of this newly identified organism pattern in human diseases is yet to be identified.