Fusobacterium nucleatum pericarditis

Abstract

A pericardial effusion was diagnosed by echocardiography in a 49 year old man who suffered acute cough, orthopnea, and chest pain. Because of a positive tuberculin skin test, mycobacteria were initially suspected as the cause of the pericarditis. The patient was therefore treated with antituberculosis drugs. The pericardial effusion failed to resolve, however, and pericardiectomy was performed. Culture of the pericardial fluid yielded pure Fusobacterium nucleatum growth. The patient responded to antibiotic therapy and was in good health 3 weeks after being discharged from the hospital. This represents the first report of F. nucleatum pericarditis.

Taxonomy, biology, and periodontal aspects of Fusobacterium nucleatum.

“…Of the periodontal species that are statistically associated with periodontal disease, it is the most common in clinical infections of other body sites (208). It has been isolated from several parts of the body (25) and from infections such as tropical skin ulcers (80), peritonsillar abscesses (146), pyomyositis and septic arthritis (106), bacteremia and liver abscesses (58,249), intrauterine infections (51), bacterial vaginosis (126), urinary tract infections (233), pericarditis and endocarditis (255,292), and lung and pleuropulmonary infections (20,196). The origin of F. nucleatum in infection has been dental in several cases (58,106).…”

Fusobacterium nucleatum Apoptosis-inducing Outer Membrane Protein

“…Bacteria present in dental plaque advance the disease process by irritating tissues, leading to bone and attachment loss. The pathogenesis of F. nucleatum is not limited to the oral cavity; it is associated with a variety of systemic conditions, giving its pathogenesis broader relevance to the medical community (Sabiston and Gold, 1974;Sundqvist et al, 1979;Ribot et al, 1981;Edson et al, 1982;Truant et al, 1983;Gonzalez-Gay et al, 1993;Jousimies-Somer et al, 1993;Talan et al, 1999;Heckmann et al, 2003). F. nucleatum pathogenesis is still poorly understood, but the development of a genetic system (Haake et al, 2000) and sequencing of 3 strains (Kapatral et al, 2002(Kapatral et al, , 2003 now enables the underlying mechanisms to be investigated at a molecular level.…”

Identification and characterization of human immunoglobulin G Fc receptors of Fusobacterium nucleatum

“…Fusobacterium nucleatum is a gram‐negative anaerobe that has been a suspected pathogen in several oral diseases, such as, pulp infections, alveolar abscesses, and periodontal diseases ( 23, 25, 31, 32). It also has been reported as the sole infecting organism in several cases of bacteremia ( 7), urinary tract infections ( 22), and pericarditis ( 28), or as a cofactor for diseases such as Burkitt’s lymphoma and nasopharyngeal sarcoma ( 10), and the oral route is the suspected portal of entry of this organism in such diseases.…”