Keywords :
Bacteremia, Bacillus, Case report, Dengue, Soil, Sphingomonas paucimobilis, Water
Citation Information :
Kar M, Tejan N, Jamwal A, Sengar S, Sahu C, Patel SS. Sphingomonas paucimobilis Bacteremia in an Immunocompetent Patient: A Case Report and Review of Literature. 2023; 2 (4):94-96.
Introduction:Sphingomonas paucimobilis (S. paucimobilis) is a non-fermenting, gram-negative bacillus with very low pathogenic potential. These bacilli are found to inhabit the soil and aquatic milieu and are usually transmitted in the hospital environment by means of contaminated drugs, equipment, and water, causing infection in immunocompromised individuals.
Case description: We present a case of a 26-year-old immunocompetent patient suffering from dengue hemorrhagic fever followed by secondary bacteremia with S. paucimobilis which was isolated from peripheral blood and bone marrow samples.
Conclusion: A microorganism with low pathogenic potential like S. paucimobilis is also capable of causing bacteremia in immunocompetent individuals. Awareness among physicians about this rare pathogen can promote early treatment with appropriate antibiotics.
Lin JN, Lai CH, Chen YH, et al. Sphingomonas paucimobilis bacteremia in humans: 16 case reports and a literature review. J Microbiol Immunol Infect 2010;43(1):35–42. DOI: 10.1016/S1684-1182(10)60005-9
Tai ML, Velayuthan RD. Sphingomonas paucimobilis: an unusual cause of meningitis-case report. Neurol Med Chir (Tokyo) 2014;54(4): 337–340. DOI: 10.2176/nmc.cr2012-0429
Birlutiu V, Dobritoiu SE, Ghibu AM, et al. Sphingomonas paucimobilis - a rare cause of splenic abscesses: a case report. Medicine (Baltimore) 2022;101(1):e28522. DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000028522
Ryan MP, Adley CC. Sphingomonas paucimobilis: a persistent gram-negative nosocomial infectious organism. J Hosp Infect 2010;75(3):153–157. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2010.03.007
Hsueh PR, Teng LJ, Yang PC, et al. Nosocomial infections caused by Sphingomonas paucimobilis: clinical features and microbiological characteristics. Clin Infect Dis 1998;26(3):676–681. DOI: 10.1086/514595
Perola O, Nousiainen T, Suomalainen S, et al. Recurrent Sphingomonas paucimobilis -bacteraemia associated with a multi-bacterial water-borne epidemic among neutropenic patients. J Hosp Infect 2002;50(3):196–201. DOI: 10.1053/jhin.2001.1163
Yozgat Y, Kilic A, Karadeniz C, et al. Sphingomonas paucimobilis bacteraemia and shock in a patient with rheumatic carditis. Indian J Med Microbiol 2014;32(4):451–454. DOI: 10.4103/0255-0857.142253
Hardjo Lugito, Cucunawangsih, Kurniawan A. A lethal case of Sphingomonas paucimobilis bacteremia in an immunocompromised patient. Case Rep Infect Dis 2016;2016:3294639. DOI: 10.1155/2016/3294639
Chowdhary P, Ranjan R, Pandey A, et al. Sphingomonas paucimobilis septicemia in a neonate: a rare case report. Indian J Pathol Microbiol 2016;59(1):119–121. DOI: 10.4103/0377-4929.174821
Alkhatib B, Veytsman E, Klumpp L, et al. Sphingomonas paucimobilis septic shock in an immunocompetent patient. Cureus 2022;14(7):e26720. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26720