Chryseobacterium Bloodstream Infection in a Case of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma: An Emerging Pathogen Complicating Clinical Management in Cancer Patients

Abstract

Over the past decade, novel pathogens causing infections in patients have been identified. Chryseobacterium is one such emerging pathogen that is frequently reported in hospitalized patients. Case reports of bloodstream infections, and pneumonia due to Chryseobacterium spp in cancer patients from different parts of the world are drawing the attention of the clinical community to this bacterium as an emerging threat in patients with malignancies. Besides its propensity to cause serious infection to the immune-compromised patients, the antibiotic-resistant trait is posing a serious challenge, further complicating the clinical management of malignancies. We report a similar experience with the bacterium causing bloodstream infection in a patient with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The new automated identification systems have enabled us to identify these relatively uncommon pathogens in our clinical setting and also recognize their role in causing infection in hospitalized patients. Besides the difficulties in the treatment of these antibiotic-resistant pathogens, detecting their source within the healthcare setup remains a challenge for medical professionals.