Korean Journal of Clinical Pathology  1998;18(3):399-402

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae Bacteremia in a Hemodialysis Patient.

Hee Bong SHIN 1 ; Dongeun YONG ; Kyungwon LEE ; Yunsop CHONG ; Dae Suk HAN

Affiliations

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Keywords

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae; Bacteremia; Hemodialysis; Vancomycin resistance

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, a facultatively anaerobic, gram-positive rod, has long been an important pathogen in veterinary medicine. Recently E. rhusiopathiae has become more commonly recognized as a cause of serious diseases in humans, such as endocarditis- associated ones. Identifying E. rhusiopathiae is difficult as this organism may be mistaken for Streptococcus or just dismissed as a contaminant. E. rhusiopathiae was isolated from a blood specimen obtained from a 65-year-old man, who had chronic renal failure. His recent contact history with animal was not available. The isolate showed typical cultural and biochemical characteristics such as growth on both aerobic and anaerobic media, formation of small, greenish colonies on blood agar, positive hydrogen sulfide in TSI agar, and absence of motility and catalase reaction. The isolate was resistant to vancomycin in disk diffusion test and in Etest. In conclusion, in case of unidentified gram-positive bacterial sepsis, one should be aware of E. rhusiopathiae as a possible pathogen.