Abstract
Introduction: Actinobaculum schaalii is a Gram‐positive facultative anaerobic coccoid rod bacterium that grows slowly in culture. This bacterium was classified as a new genus in 1997 but is often overlooked or considered a contaminant because of both its resemblance to the normal bacterial flora on skin and mucosa and the overgrowth of other bacteria. During the past decade, A. schaalii has emerged as a more common urinary tract pathogen than previously thought. Case presentation: Here, we describe the case of a patient with an untreated A. schaalii urinary tract infection that turned into urosepsis. Conclusion: This case shows that the invasive potential of this bacterium should not always be ruled out.
Highlights
Actinobaculum schaalii is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobic coccoid rod bacterium that grows slowly in culture. This bacterium was classified as a new genus in 1997 but is often overlooked or considered a contaminant because of both its resemblance to the normal bacterial flora on skin and mucosa and the overgrowth of other bacteria
We describe the case of a patient with an untreated A. schaalii urinary tract infection (UTI) that turned into urosepsis
A. schaalii is common among elderly people with suspected UTI and may be clinically significant, when found alone or together with other bacteria, in children and in patients treated for kidney stones and those with underlying urological conditions (Andersen et al, 2012; Bank et al, 2010, 2011; Nielsen et al, 2010; Vasquez et al, 2013; Zimmerman et al, 2012)
Summary
Actinobaculum schaalii is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobic coccoid rod bacterium that grows slowly in culture. A. schaalii is an emerging pathogen, and has been increasingly associated with UTIs in the past decade (Cattoir, 2012) The detection of this Gram-positive rod in clinical isolates indicates that it is not an innocent bystander and can cause infection (Tschudin-Sutter et al, 2011). Olsen et al (2013) found that A. schaalii is a commensal bacterium found in urine and on the skin and vaginal mucosa in the human urogenital area Other studies support these findings and show that the elderly are at greatest risk of being colonized with A. schaalii, and that A. schaalii is a potential pathogen in patients with kidney stones undergoing extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (Olsen et al, 2013; Tschudin-Sutter et al, 2011). The patient was treated orally with amoxicillin for 14 days
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
