ABSTRACT
Staphylococcus epidermidis and a Gram negative bacillus (GNB) were isolated in blood cultures from a 68-year-old male with cancer. The GNB was suspicious for Brucella spp., but was identified using 16S rDNA sequencing as Aureimonas altamirensis. The complexity of the identification is described in this case study.
Subject(s)
Alphaproteobacteria/isolation & purification , Bacterial Infections/diagnosis , Blood Culture , Aged , Alphaproteobacteria/drug effects , Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology , Bacterial Infections/microbiology , Brucella , Genome, Bacterial , Humans , Male , Neoplasms/complications , Neoplasms/microbiology , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization , Whole Genome SequencingABSTRACT
We report the case of a 69-year-old female who presented with headache, stiff neck, and decreased level of consciousness. Lumbar puncture results were typical of bacterial meningitis. Blood and cerebrospinal fluid cultures showed Streptococcus bovis. Subsequent serologic studies indicated concurrent Strongyloides stercoralis infection, and larvae were visualized in two separate stool specimens. The patient responded to treatment of both infections. She refused to undergo colonoscopy despite a known association between Streptococcus bovis and colonic carcinoma.