The First Case of Otitis in Korea Caused by Brevibacterium otitidis
- Author:
Seon Ho MUN
1
;
A Jin LEE
;
Sang Gyung KIM
;
Chang Ho JEON
;
Cheon Gang PARK
;
Hun Suk SUH
Author Information
- Publication Type:Case Report
- Keywords: Brevibacterium otitidis; 16S Ribosomal RNA; Otitis
- MeSH: Actinomyces; Agar; Bacteria; Brevibacterium; Clindamycin; Ear; Female; Gram-Positive Rods; Hearing Loss; Humans; Korea; Linezolid; Middle Aged; Otitis; Penicillins; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Tinnitus; Vancomycin
- From:Laboratory Medicine Online 2019;9(3):181-184
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
- Abstract: Brevibacterium spp. are gram-positive rods that are considered to be strictly nonpathogenic, and a very few cases of their infection in humans have been reported. In this study, we report a case of otitis caused by Brevibacterium otitidis. A 53-year-old woman, who visited the hospital, complained of symptoms, such as otorrhea from both ears, ear fullness, tinnitus, and hearing impairment, for several months. Ear discharge was cultured on blood agar for pathogen identification. Bacteria from the isolated colony were initially identified as Actinomyces odontolyticus by VITEK 2 (bioMerieux, France), whereas VITEK® MS (bioMerieux, France) identified them as Brevibacterium luteolum. Subsequently, bacteria from the isolated colony were confirmed as B. otitidis by 16S rRNA sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing confirmed their sensitivity to vancomycin and linezolid and resistance to clindamycin and penicillin. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of otitis caused by B. otitidis in Korea.
