ABSTRACT
Background: Infections caused by anaerobic bacteria occur frequently and can be serious and life-threatening. Anaerobes are a rare cause of community-acquired pneumonia with Streptococcus pneumonia and respiratory viruses being the most frequently detected pathogens. We, herein, report a case of Fusobacterium/Peptostreptococcus parapneumonic effusion with empyema in a patient without risk factors for aspiration pneumonia. This case presents an opportunity to discuss an unusual case of community-acquired empyema secondary to anaerobic infection in a patient without the common risk factors for aspiration.
Case Presentation: A 59-year-old male patient without significant past medical history apart from a twenty-five-year history of smoking presented due to left flank pain and shortness of breath. Findings of a complicated parapneumonic effusion were found on imaging, resulting in surgical decortication and prolonged antibiotic therapy.
Discussion: Parapneumonic effusions and empyema are relatively common complications of pneumonia. It is important to note that the incidence of anaerobic empyema has been on the rise due to more modern culturing techniques.
Conclusion: This case highlights an unusual presentation of community-acquired empyema secondary to anaerobes without any risk factors for aspiration pneumonia. Therefore, clinicians should consider the possibility of anaerobic coverage in the treatment of community-acquired empyema in the appropriate setting.
.Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents , Community-Acquired Infections , Fusobacterium , Peptostreptococcus , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology , Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy , Peptostreptococcus/isolation & purification , Fusobacterium/isolation & purification , Empyema, Pleural/microbiology , Empyema, Pleural/drug therapy , Empyema/microbiology , Fusobacterium Infections/drug therapy , Fusobacterium Infections/microbiology , Fusobacterium Infections/complications , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/drug therapy , Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/microbiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Leptotrichia spp. are fastidious facultative anaerobic, pencil-shaped, gramnegative rods that reside in the mouths, intestines, and female genital tracts of humans. Bacteremia and septic shock have been rarely reported in the immunocompromised host. We report a case of L. trevisanii bacteremia in a patient recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on chemotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old male with a history of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and coronary artery disease status post-CABG presented with neutropenic fevers and signs of sepsis after the initiation of chemotherapy. Blood cultures were ordered and extensive gene sequencing helped identify Leptotrichia trevisanii as the causative pathogen. Subsequently, the patient was successfully treated with empiric cefepime. DISCUSSION: Opportunistic pathogens are involved in a variety of diseases and have been isolated from immunocompromised patients undergoing transplantation or in patients with comorbidities, like leukemia, lymphoma, or neutropenia. L. trevisanii has been reported as a cause of bloodstream infections in patients with hematologic malignancies receiving chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the key role that Leptotrichia trevisanii plays in the introduction of sepsis among immunocompromised patients, particularly with hematologic malignancies, like AML, on chemotherapy.
