Epidemiology of Infections With Rothia Species in an Academic Medical Center

Abstract

Introduction/MethodsRothia species are aerobic or facultatively anaerobic nonmotile non-spore-forming gram-positive coccobacilli, which are part of the normal flora of the human oropharynx and upper respiratory tract. Although these species are commonly associated with periodontal disease, limited data exist regarding the pathogenicity of this bacterium in humans. Most reports of Rothia infections are in immunocompromised patients, limiting extrapolation to the general adult population. To our knowledge, there are only 2 large evaluations of invasive Rothia infections in adult populations published, predominantly neutropenic populations. 1,2 We sought to evaluate adult patients admitted with Rothia infections to understand occurrence patterns. We performed a singlecenter, retrospective study at our Academic Medical Center in Kentucky to describe their incidence over a 10-year period. Patients were identified based on at least 1 positive culture for Rothia species via the on-site clinical microbiology laboratory database with chart review of clinically pertinent variables.

Microbiological and Epidemiological Aspects of Endocarditis Caused by Rothia spp.: A Systematic Review

“…Considered opportunistic pathogens with low virulence [17], Rothia spp. infections are associated with invasive medical procedures [17,18] and conditions leading to immunocompromise [18,19]. Comparative studies on microbiome composition revealed alterations due to COVID-19, with a notable increase in Rothia spp.…”